


Ink On Skin

by Maybelifeistooshort



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Child Abuse, Dumb Characters, Eating Disorders, Ethan has a flower shop, Ethan has issues, F/M, Fluff, He's not amazing, Henry Hidgens is not a piece of shit in this, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Like, Officially more AU because Nick Lang said Ethan's parents aren't shit, Parental Henry Hidgens, Past Child Abuse, because Ethan needs someone, but he's not as bad as shown in the musical and what's been confirmed by Robert, do not expect them to catch on, he needs to work them out, here they are., implied eating disorder, it is his life, mostly it's focused on Ethan, they're so fucking dumb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23929513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maybelifeistooshort/pseuds/Maybelifeistooshort
Summary: In a world of soulmates and complications, Ethan Green is trying to figure things out. He lives a simple life, with a small flower shop and a shitty apartment, but he's content. The cute girl who runs the tattoo parlor next door seems determined to make his life just a little more complicated.
Relationships: Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Hannah Foster & Ethan Green, Hannah Foster & Lex Foster, Lex Foster & Ethan Green, Lex Foster/Ethan Green, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 146
Kudos: 135





	1. Monday and Tuesday

Ethan walked into his little flower shop with a soft smile on his face. His leather jacket had done its job of keeping him warm in the harsh winter outside. He sat behind the desk, ready for another slow day.

Set up beside him were flower arragements he lovingly called the ‘Fuck You’ bouquets. While no one did much research into flowers much anymore, he had put together a bouquet full of flowers which gave the message of hatred. He was proud of how much research he had put into them, even if they weren’t his best sellers. 

There were quite a few pre-arranged bouquets for his customers, but there were also lists of flowers and their meanings for those who wanted to make their own. Ethan had spent weeks making the list and fighting with auto-correct. 

He sat behind the front desk and took his jacket off, the sleeve of tattoos on his arm now showing to the world. He looked at his forearm, where his favorites were. One of the biggest ones was of a spider standing over a dead cthulhu type. Under it in cursive was just the name ‘Webby’. 

He traced the picture with his black nail and pictured who had the tattoo. He had only gone into a tattoo parlor once, to get his ear pierced. His uncle Hidgens had surprised him for his eighteenth birthday by paying for it. 

He never wanted a tattoo for himself. He had dealt with enough pain back when he was living at home. Ethan just didn’t see the use of having someone stab ink into his skin. The worries of infection always crept in when he even considered the idea. He was glad that his soulmate liked them though, they were badass. 

As the day went on, at around noon he heard loud rock music coming from the tattoo parlor next door. He didn’t mind it, as it was his type of music anyways. He just nodded his head along to the beat as he cleaned up. 

Ethan looked up when a nervous looking man walked in. He was tall and had casual business attire on. He was slightly bug eyed, but not unattractive. Ethan moved to stand behind the counter to get the man’s order. 

“Hey. What can I do for you?” He asked the nervous man, leaning slightly over the counter and resting on his forearms. 

“I want to get some flowers for my girlfriend. Well- not girlfriend. I’m asking her to be my girlfriend. That’s why I’m getting her the flowers.” The man rambled. 

“Alright, and what kind of flowers do you want to get her?” Ethan asked, looking for a notepad in the mess that was behind his desk. 

“Well I was hoping that you could help me with that.” The man admitted. “I don’t know anything about flowers, and I don’t want to make her one of...well something like that.” He nodded twords the ‘Fuck You’ bouquets. “But, I also don’t want to say I love you to her yet. Since- well it’s not like I don’t love her, she’s my soulmate, of course I love her, bu-” The man looked so nervous he might explode. 

“I’m going to cut you off, pal. Don’t want you having a panic attack. I’m thinking of a bouquet with purple delphinium flowers, pink carnations, and gardenias. Very romantic and pretty.” Ethan suggested lightly. 

The nervous man seemed to calm down and nodded. When he looked up, Ethan swore that if he hadn’t have cut him off the other would have started crying. “Yeah. That sounds good.” His shoulders relaxed. 

“When do you want to pick ‘em up?” Ethan asked. 

“Is Thursday too early?” He asked. 

“Not at all. They’ll be waiting for you on Thursday, and you can pay me the eighty bucks then. Is that cool?” Ethan raised his eyebrows. 

“It is more than cool.”

“I’ll need a name for the order.” 

“Paul.”

“Alright Paul. See you on Thursday.”

Ethan watched as Paul left his store and smiled fondly. It was always nice to see when someone really cared about their soulmate. 

He took inventory and put aside the flowers he would need for the bouquet. After he had the flowers set aside, he went through his little shop and took care of the flowers that needed it. He took the wilting bouquets off of the shelves and put them with the other sad bouquets in the ‘sale’ portion. 

He looked outside and watched as people left the tattoo parlor next door to him. People walked out, and he imagined some of them as his soulmate. Maybe it was the nerdy looking guy with the bowtie. Maybe the girl with short blonde hair and glasses. It was hard to tell when everyone was wearing long sleeves. 

There wasn’t much else to do that day. A couple on a date came by. A large muscular man with dark eyes he recognized as his old shop teacher and a small red headed woman holding onto his arm. The man smiled and bought her a reasonably priced bouquet of roses. She had kissed him. 

Ethan smiled as they left, the sun setting. He pulled his leather jacket on and took a few tens from the register to pay for his dinner. He didn’t feel like cooking that night (he didn’t have anything to cook), and knew of a shitty coffee place that was always open late. He always made sure to eat at least once a day. 

He walked outside and the freezing air hit his face. He looked over to notice the woman who owned the tattoo parlor next door locking up as well. He gave her the obligatory smile as he turned the key to lock the door. 

Occasionally they would lock up at the same time. Sometimes she would have her little sister next to her, tonight wasn’t one of those nights. He didn’t know much about the other woman, other than that in winter she wore a big black jacket. 

He turned to start walking, then noticed the woman walking the same direction as him. Towards the edge of Hatchet Field. Everything was cheaper there. “Where are you headed?” He asked as he noticed her match his pace.

“Beanies.” Was her short reply. 

“Me too!” Ethan gave her a slightly goofy smile, which in turn made her lips turn slightly up. 

“Well that’s cool.” She said. 

Both of them walked quietly, and Ethan was nervous that he had creeped her out, but she kept walking beside him. 

Soon enough, they got to the small coffee shop. Ethan held the door open for her and soon they were both in line at the small counter. 

Ethan eyed the numerous pastries behind the glass, thinking about what he would want. There were quite a few options, all of which could make his mouth water since he had skipped breakfast and lunch. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the woman in front of him swear. 

“Shit. I’m a few bucks short.” She mumbled. She looked up at the barista who looked done with life apologetically. 

“I guess I’ll just get the black coffee. Thanks.” She looked down and made a b-line to a table in the back corner. 

Ethan stepped up and looked at the short barista “Um, whatever else she was trying to order, I’ll pay for it.” He said awkwardly, handing the other one of his ten dollar bills. This just meant that he would have a smaller dinner. “And I’ll get a large hot cocoa and a brownie.” 

“That’ll be twenty five dollars.” She told him, giving him a quick and forced fake smile. Ethan nodded, giving her the rest of the money he had grabbed. He put the last five dollars into the tip jar. 

He sat in an empty seat a few tables away from the woman who owned the tattoo shop. Her name was called first and she walked over to the counter. Ethan couldn’t hear the conversation, but he could hear a surprised tone coming from the woman who owned the parlor. 

He looked back down at his phone until a hot cocoa was rather forcefully slammed onto the table. He looked up to see the woman holding her drink. It was labeled ‘Lex’. 

“What the fuck man?” She asked, setting two plates down. One had his brownie and the other had the worst looking cinnamon roll he had ever seen. He took his brownie. 

“I’m sorry?” He tilted his head. 

“Why did you pay for the cinnamon role?” She asked. 

Ethan wasn’t sure if she was angry, as she sat down at the seat in front of him and started eating. She still had her jacket on, as well as he did, but she had pulled her hair down. It was wavy and went just above her shoulders. 

“I just wanted to be nice. And you look like you’ve had a long day.” He shrugged, taking a drink of his hot chocolate. It wasn’t good, as expected. He was pretty sure that they made it with water. Heathens. 

“Oh. Well thanks.” Lex looked down, her shoulders relaxing. 

“Where’s your sister?” He asked, just wanting to avoid silence for a bit longer. 

“With her babysitter. I was booked solid today, and there wouldn’t be time to bring her out for lunch.” Lex told him, digging into her food. 

“Want half of my brownie?” Ethan asked her, already cutting it in half. He was used to skipping meals. 

“Thanks…” Lex eyed him suspiciously, taking the brownie. 

“What?” Ethan asked.

“I’m not going to sleep with you, you know?” Her eyebrows went up.

“I didn’t think you were.” Ethan hated how squeaky his voice sounded. 

“Alright then.” 

“Alright.”

The two of them were quiet as they ate. Lex had a slight pink to her cheeks and Ethan didn’t know what to say. 

They finished as the barista started closing up. Ethan made sure to thank her before leaving. He still held the door for Lex, who mumbled a ‘thanks’ as she walked past him. 

He walked back to his tiny and shitty apartment and unlocked his door. He walked in and saw his cat, Greg, sitting next to his food bowl. As soon as Greg noticed Ethan, he walked up to him and started screaming. 

Ethan chuckled and walked over to the beat up fridge, pulling a can of Greg’s food out. He pulled the lid off of the can and emptied it into Greg’s food bowl. Greg stopped wailing and began to eat, his fur going flat against his back. Ethan gave him a pat on his head.

When he was sure Greg was content, Ethan walked back to the fridge and pulled the only thing left out. He sniffed the expired milk before taking a long drink from the gallon. Greg looked over with a face of pure disgust before going back to his food. 

“Don't judge me.” Ethan spat back. Greg did not respond. 

He shrugged and walked back to the couch after he put the milk back into the fridge. It had a week left before he really had to throw it out based on the taste. He flipped on the lifetime channel and pulled his jacket off. 

He smiled when Greg hopped onto the couch and into his lap. Greg was the ugliest cat Ethan had ever seen. He had been walking home from the auto shop when he heard meowing. He had searched for the noise, even though it was coming from an alley and pelting rain. 

He found a cat with a flat face, mismatched fur, and mismatched cross eyes. He hid him under his jacket and brought him home. He promised himself that he would bring the cat to the shelter the next day, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Instead, after a few vet visits, Ethan had a cat. 

He fell asleep with the tv on and said cat in his lap. He woke up at around three in the morning with a start and sweat down his back. His stomach growled and flopped and Ethan took a second to calm himself down. 

He didn’t have nightmares often, but they sucked when he did. He stood up, careful not to wake Greg, and walked into the bathroom. He looked into the mirror and admitted to himself that he looked like shit. 

He turned the shower on as hot as it would go and stripped down. He stepped under the stream of hot water and closed his eyes as steam filled the shower. 

He washed his hair first, using his favorite lemon scented shampoo. He kept his eyes closed the entire time, just enjoying the hot water that was no doubt turning his skin red. 

Too soon for his liking, he turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked to his sink. He ignored the fogged up mirror and brushed his teeth. 

He walked out and back to his bedroom where he swapped the towel out for a pair of red boxers and a shirt he was given by his uncle. It was bright blue and had the title ‘Workin’ Boys’ in large print. He wasn’t even sure what that was, but the shirt was comfortable. 

He looked at his uncomfortable bed and sighed before climbing under the scratchy blanket. He rested his head on the flattened pillow and attempted to sleep. 

When Ethan woke up the next morning, he looked to see a new piece of artwork on his shoulder. He walked into the bathroom to get a better look at it, and his breath was taken away by how beautiful it was. 

There was a picture of a beach with palm trees. The colors were bright and the sunset in the photo looked real. Underneath was the word ‘California’ in cursive. Ethan wondered if his soulmate lived in California. 

He hoped not. While he planned to leave the state one day, he had barely made it out of Hatchet Field. He was living in the shitty part of Clivesdale, and he was already tight on money. He couldn’t imagine moving to California on his own to find one of the millions of people there. 

He threw on a white shirt and a green flannel with jeans before walking out. Greg was still sleeping on the couch and only woke up when he heard the can of cat food being opened. Ethan smiled as his cat sat by while waiting by for his food, his tail swishing slightly over the floor. 

Ethan left, making sure to lock the door on his way out. He made sure to remind Greg to hold the fort while he was gone. Greg seemed to understand. 

The weather was a bit colder than Ethan liked, but it wasn’t too cold to walk. He walked into his flower shop and turned the ‘open’ sign on. 

He sat, watching as people passed his window. At noon he saw Lex and her little sister walk by. Not even a minute later, the little sister walked in. 

Ethan smiled at the girl. She had to be no older than nine. “What can I do for you?” Ethan asked. 

“Lex said to give this to you.” She told him, holding up a ten dollar bill. She avoided eye contact. 

“Well, can you do something for me?” He asked, and when she nodded he continued, “Would you please bring her this?”

He gave her a small pot with hydrangeas planted. Lex’s sister nodded and left to go back to the tattoo parlor. Ethan watched out of the window to make sure she got there safely. He was proud of his choice in flower. Hydrangeas could show thankfulness. They were also prominent in his ‘fuck you’ bouquets because they could also symbolize heartlessness. From what he had seen, Lex’s personality was somewhere in the middle. 

He sat back and pulled off the flannel to look back at his arm. Whoever his soulmate was had an amazing artist doing their tattoos. He pulled out a marker and wrote on the arm with less tattoos on it. 

‘Hello.’ he added a poorly drawn stick figure waving. 

‘Hi.’ A response came fairly quickly. 

‘I like your tattoos.’ He told them. 

‘Thanks. I haven’t talked to you in a while.’

‘Stuff happened.’ He wrote. 

‘What kind of stuff? Got a new pet stuff or lost a family member stuff’

‘Actually both.’ Ethan replied, biting his lip. He wasn’t really lying. 

‘Oh, I’m sorry. Who did you lose?’

‘Parents.’

‘Oh. I’m so sorry.’ They told him. 

‘Thanks.’

The two of them chatted idly until there was almost no room on his arm left to write anything. He pulled his flannel back on and looked at the time. It was about two and his stomach felt almost painfully empty. 

Ethan stood up and turned the sign to ‘be back soon’ as he locked up. He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and walked to a pizza joint nearby. He was surprised to see Lex and her sister sitting at a table. 

He walked over with his large slice of cheese and sprite, sitting next to Lex. “Well hello ladies.”

“Who told you you could sit here?” Lex asked, giving a pointed and defensive look. 

“Well when I paid for your meal you sat at my table, just returning the favor.” He replied, giving a cocky smirk. 

When her sister didn’t seem to object, Lex let him stay at the table as they ate. Lex was eating hawiian pizza, making him wish he had a few extra dollars to do the same. Her sister had mushrooms and peppers littering her pizza slice. 

Ethan talked to Lex’s sister a bit. He learned her name was Hannah and that she was ten. She was really into spiders and collecting buttons. He filed the information away for later, sure that he would find a way to use it. 

They walked back to their shops together, all in a better mood than before because of the break for food. Before Ethan could walk back into his shop, Lex stopped him. 

“Hey, um, thanks for last night. And the flowers. I guess.” She mumbled. 

“No problem toots. Just what I do.” He smiled, walking back into his shop. Maybe if he didn’t meet his soulmate, he had options.


	2. Meeting Parents, Being Sick, and Shopping (Not In That Order)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan needs a break from life. He doesn't get one.

Closing up, Ethan saw that Lex and Hannah had already gone home. He shrugged it off and locked up, glad that it had gotten a little warmer. He shrugged off the flannel and wrapped it around his waist. 

A few people still walking eyed him suspiciously, not trusting him. Some women clutched their purses a little tighter, and some had their hands ready to grab something from their pocket. He hated that they saw him as a threat, he hated that they had to see everyone as a threat at night. 

The only people who acknowledged him with an emotion other than fear were the hookers that liked to stay outside of his building. A woman called Tiffany and a man who went by Richard. Ethan knew that they were lovely people, so he always made sure to say hello. 

Ethan got home around twenty minutes later, happy to see Greg screaming at his food bowl. As he fed Greg, he noticed that Greg was running low on food. He sighed, that meant that he would have to go to the store the next day. 

Ethan hated going to the store. The store meant that he had to leave work early and go to a place where he would be surrounded by people he didn’t know just so that he could empty his wallet of anything that wasn’t already going to bills. But Greg needed to eat. 

He looked at the ever growing grocery list taped onto the fridge and added cat food to the list. The front and back of the list was filled, so Ethan supposed that it was around time to go to the store. It would be nice to drink milk without a sour aftertaste and maybe have some real food to come home to. 

He kicked off his boots once he was finished doing chores. He was exhausted as hell. He went to his room and changed into his pajama bottoms and decided to just go shirtless. He laid down on the couch and grabbed a red sharpie from the floor. 

‘Hey.’ He sent his soulmate. He wasn’t sure if they would respond because of how late it was. He wondered what time it was in California. He was shocked when he felt the slight tingle of a message being written back. 

‘You’re up late.’ It said. Ethan smiled down at it, closing his eyes and imagining who it could be. Was it the guy at the movie theater who took the late shift? The girl who lived down the street? An actress in L.A having the time of her life at a Hollywood party? There was no way for him to know. 

‘You are as well, you know. I just had to work late. What’s your excuse?’ He smiled down as there was a frowny face drawn next to the comment about working late. 

‘No fun. And I’m just settling down for the night. I just made dinner a little while ago.’

‘Oh. What did you have?’ Ethan asked. 

‘Just pasta. It’s the only thing I really know how to make.’ They admitted, ‘What about you?’ they asked. 

‘I didn’t have dinner’

‘Why not?’

He paused. There was more to the answer he thought of than he wanted to write down. 

‘Don’t have much food. Shopping tomarrow’

‘Okay. Get some sleep weirdo.’

‘You too’ He drew a little smiley face next to his last comment. 

Ethan grinned to himself as he tried to fall asleep. He always felt better when he talked to his soulmate. Something about them caring about him, even a bit, made him feel all warm and fuzzy in his chest. It was a feeling he wished he could hold onto forever. 

It was gone when he was thrust into another one of his nightmares. This time it was more of a memory, which made it all the worse. 

He was ten when it had happened. He had forgotten his homework. His teacher didn’t tell him that she had called home. He came home with a big smile on his face, proud of his loose tooth. He walked inside, and suddenly all of the air was taken from his lungs. 

His mom and dad stood, waiting for him. His mom had her hands on her hips and his dad’s arms were crossed. Ethan had only been in trouble a few times before that, but he knew what those looks meant. He wasn’t getting dinner, at best. 

“We got an interesting call from the school today. Can you guess what it was about?” His mother had asked him. Before he could respond, she kept talking. “Apparently our son couldn’t get off of his lazy ass and do his homework. So he might start failing.” She spat. 

“Go to your room. If we see you before tomorrow morning on the way to school, you’ll regret it.” His dad threatened. 

Apparently he didn’t move quickly enough, since his mom pushed him. He fell onto the bannister next to the stairs. He ran upstairs with blood running down his face. He looked in the mirror to see that his nose was bleeding. And his tooth was missing. 

Ethan woke up, Greg clawing his way as he fell off of his chest. It was just enough to draw blood. He made sure his cat was okay before getting up and going to the bathroom to clean himself up. 

He felt the tingle of a message and looked at his hand, ‘Are you okay?’ was written in sloppy letters. 

‘I’m fine. Cat just scratched me while I was sleeping.’ He wrote back with an eyeliner pencil he had in his bathroom as he slowly applied rubbing alcohol to the wound. He groaned and then bandaged it. 

He didn’t get a response, so he assumed that his soulmate had just fallen back asleep. Ethan looked at himself in the mirror and flipped himself off before going back to his bed and crawling back under the covers. 

He didn’t sleep well, and woke up feeling like shit. He didn’t feel like doing anything, but Greg was on his last can of food, so Ethan got himself dressed. 

He didn’t even attempt to look presentable. He knew he wouldn’t be going into work that day, which made things a little easier. He just needed to go to the store and come back. There wasn’t much that could go wrong. That’s what he kept telling himself. 

Ethan pulled on a green muscle shirt and put deodorant on before slipping on some slippers. He ordered an uber to drive him to the store, glad he had put away money for when he couldn’t walk somewhere. 

He climbed into the back, not bothering to say anything but a simple ‘hello’ to the driver. When he got out of the car, he made sure to give the driver five stars for driving his living corpse around. 

He walked into the grocery store and grabbed a basket. He made a habit of stocking up when at the store so he wouldn’t have to go back until later. Even though it took more of a chunk out of his balance than he would like, it was worth it. 

He felt like a zombie walking around. He got some cereal for himself first. Off brand lucky charms. Just as much magic for a fraction of the price. As well as some apples and bananas. If anything, they were easy to grab. 

He continued to take items, even getting a box full of cat food. Ethan was glad to report that on Wednesday morning, Walmart wasn’t very full. He also wasn’t the worst dressed out of everyone there. 

He used the self checkout, making sure he ignored the candy beside the area, not wanting to give into temptation. It took all he had. 

He got another ride and sat down at a bench to wait until they got there. There was a Subway inside of the Walmart, so he got himself a drink and waited. He was half asleep on the table when he saw them. 

Ethan suddenly felt even more sick and had to swallow bile that rose in his throat. He wished he had brought his jacket, so he had some way to hide himself. Walking into the store were his parents. 

He felt sick as they walked by, praying that they would pass him. He thought that he had gotten unreasonably lucky when they walked by, but then his dad stopped, turned around, and walked over. 

“Well well well.” He had a fake smile plastered on. 

“Hey dad.” Ethan could hit himself for how weak he sounded. 

“Look at that. You still don’t even know how to dress yourself.” His mother sneered down at him. 

Ethan hated that he was shaking. He could easily get up and leave. He had been through everything, if he was in his normal condition he could easily take down both of them with no problem. Who ever said that nothing good came from fighting? Now he knew how to throw a punch. 

The issue was that he couldn’t move. His stomach felt odd and any time he tried to move he couldn’t breathe. He was about to hyperventilate when they finally left, realizing that he couldn't interact with them. He didn’t miss them calling him stupid once again before they left. 

It was then that he got the notification that his uber had arrived. He grabbed all of his reusable bags and walked outside. The man in the car waved him down. Ethan all but collapsed into the seat with his ten bags and box of cat food next to him. 

The driver tried to make small talk, but Ethan couldn’t really process anything. He took the water that was offered and gave five stars when the drive was finished. As soon as he got back up to his apartment, he threw up.

He had just barely made it to the toilet, and he collapsed next to it. Throw up had even gotten on his shirt. He only moved when his phone started buzzing and an unknown number was shown. He picked it up anyway. 

“Hello?” His voice sounded like he had cut his vocal chords with a cheese grater. 

“Jesus Christ, what happened to you?” Lex’s voice asked. 

“Sick.” 

“I can tell. What’s your address?” She asked. 

“What?” He mumbled, half asleep. 

“What is your address? I can’t have you dying on me, we just started hanging out.”

“How did you get my number…?” 

“Business card babe. Now stop avoiding the question.” Lex’s voice was stern, so he told her. She hung up after telling him not to die before she got there. 

Ethan didn’t want to smell more like vomit than he had to, so on the bathroom floor he lazily took the sleeveless shirt he had on and put on a long sleeved shirt that was already on the floor. Wrinkled, but less smelly. 

He closed his eyes for just a moment, leaning on the cool tile of the bathtub, then woke up to someone poking his face. He brushed whatever it was away, thinking that it was just Greg. He opened his eyes to see Lex leaned down looking down at him. 

“Your door was unlocked. I put your groceries away.” She told him bluntly. Ethan was barely sure that she was speaking English. 

She helped him up and walked him into his room, saying something about how light he was. He tried to mumble something defensive, but she didn’t even flinch. 

“You stay in here. I’m going to get you something to eat and maybe something to drink.” She told him. Ethan didn’t respond until she walked out. 

He blinked slowly, feeling as his body begged him to go to sleep. This was the worst he had felt in ages, since he had lived with his parents. His tired mind finally put together that he had had a panic attack, one directly after another. No wonder he felt like shit. 

Lex walked back inside with a glass of orange juice he had bought since it was on sale and toast next to some soup. She handed him the juice and he took a long drink. 

He looked back up at Lex, she was still kind of out of focus, “Why are you helping me?” He asked. 

“Because I was worried about you. Hannah was too, and I couldn’t say no to her. By the way, she’s in the front room playing with your cat.”

“His name is Greg.” Ethan told her unhelpfully. Lex nodded thoughtfully. 

“I’ll tell Hannah when you’re done eating. Now, what do we want to try first? Chicken soup or lightly buttered toast?”

“I didn’t buy soup…?” Ethan tilted his head, which made the pounding pain worse. 

“I picked some up from Panera. And that means soup.” Lex told him, smiling as she opened the lid. Ethan had to admit, it smelled really good. 

He moved his hand to take the spoon, but it was shaking so badly that he couldn’t get a good hold on it. Lex took the spoon and fed him the soup. If Ethan was any more lucid, he would be embarrassed. If Ethan was any more lucid, he could probably feed himself. 

That’s why Lex didn’t think about it as she started humming as she fed him. It was something she did for Hannah when she had a breakdown or panic attack, and something her adoptive dad did for her during a depressive episode. 

Ethan relaxed slightly and soon his stomach was full again. He didn’t really think about it as Lex ran her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner as he slowly fell asleep. It was the type of affection he craved at all times.

When Lex was sure that he was asleep, she slowly stood up from the bed. Ethan had looked worse for wear since she had started talking to him. It couldn’t have been the beginning of the issues, since he was so light. He shouldn’t have been that easy to carry. 

She smiled when she saw Hannah playing with Greg the cat. Hannah had taken really well to Ethan, faster than Lex had ever seen her warm up to someone. It made her a little more comfortable coming over when he wasn’t at work. 

She couldn’t tell what exactly was wrong. From what Hannah had told her, he had seemed fine the day before, if maybe a little tired. Lex only got the way he seemed during a bad depressive episode or after a bad panic attack. 

“What do we do now Banana?” Lex asked her sister, who looked up to acknowledge that she was listening. “Do we stay here until he needs something or to feed his cat? Is that weird?”

Hannah shook her head. “We should stay.” She told her older sister. Lex nodded.

That’s how the two of them found themselves lounging around Ethan’s apartment. Hannah continued to play with the cat while Lex put her feet up on the table and turned on the television to watch a shitty lifetime movie about a pregnant teenager. 

She laughed at some of the poorly acted moments and soon found herself fully relaxing. The small apartment was cozy and warm, and Ethan had bought enough groceries to last through the next month. 

She messaged her soulmate a few hours to see how they were doing. ‘How are you doing?’

It took maybe thirty minutes, but they responded. ‘Honestly? Not amazing. I’m sick from a panik attack and I just woke up from another nightmare. And it had started out so nice…’

Lex frowned softly, sympathy blooming in her chest. ‘I’m sorry to hear. My friend is sick too. I think he’s going through the same thing as you.’

‘That’s rough’ 

‘I know. I’m at his house right now taking care of him.’ 

‘Well he’s a lucky duck.’

‘Eh. I just bought him soup.’

‘Weird. A friend did that for me.’

‘That is weird. Now we both know we have good friends.’

‘Maybe they’re soulmates too.’

‘Maybe.’

Lex smiled down at that. 

Ethan smiled down at his wrist. He felt slightly better knowing how his soulmate was at least as nice as Lex. And that was more than he could believe he deserved. Ethan took a moment to calm fully down before deciding that he needed to feed Greg.

He climbed out of bed and thanked god that the world now felt still under his feet. He walked into the front room to see Lex napping on his couch and Hannah with a purring cat in her lap. 

“Hey Hannah, do you want to feed Greg?” He asked, and Hannah lit up, nodding so violently that her braids jumped up and down. 

Ethan showed her how, and soon Greg was eating while Hannah had this proud grin on her face. Ethan smiled. “Are you allowed to have sugar?” He asked her. She nodded, and he got out the fixings for ice cream sundays. 

He made Hannah a banana split upon her request, and made himself a sunday covered in chocolate sauce and cherries. He poured them both big glasses of chocolate milk. 

They sat in his front room eating their ice cream while Lex snored away. “I’m going to wake your sister up so she can make her own.” 

“Lexi is always grumpy when you wake her up.” Hannah smiled. 

“Oh is she?” Ethan smiled back. Hannah just nodded and Ethan laughed. He still stood up and walked over, gently shaking Lex to get her to wake up. She did with a groan. 

Instead of making her own sunday, Lex grabbed a spoon and took turns stealing from both Ethan and Hannah’s ice cream. While Ethan pretended to be offended, he still let her without much struggle. 

Hannah fell asleep on his couch once they finished their dinner, and Lex looked at her little sister fondly. “I think that means that we should get going.” Lex told Ethan. 

“Right. Um, thank you for helping. You didn’t need to come over, and I know that you closed up early, and that was real fuckin’ cool of ‘ya.” Ethan told her. 

“I think you’re a really cool person. And If Hannah wants to keep having lunch with you, you can’t be dead. That wouldn’t work.”

“You’re so right. So we’re even?” Ethan joked. Lex laughed and nodded. He wanted to hear her laugh forever. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She asked, scooping up her sister. 

“Are you walking?” He asked. 

“No, my friend Deb is giving us a ride.” Lex reassured. 

Ethan nodded and watched as she left. He grabbed a pen from the table. 

‘I know that you are my soulmate, but until I meet you, do you think that I could date someone else?’

About twenty minutes later, he got a response. 

‘Oh thank fuck. I was about to ask the same thing.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little worried about this chapter, but I just used my own experience with it. I hope you enjoyed. I'd love to hear what you want in the future of this story. Kudos and comments are appreciated, but not mandatory. Have a lovely day!


	3. They Have Not Reached Peak Dumbass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says it all baby.

Ethan had to get up early the next morning so he could finish Paul’s bouquet. He had the flowers set aside and a general idea of what he wanted, so it wouldn’t take too much of his day. It was still going to take a while to get the image in his mind perfectly created. He made sure to take a shower that night, washing away all of the issues of the day before. 

He once again stood under the stream of hot water and inspected his body for any new tattoos that might give him a hint to who his soulmate might be. He wondered who they had their eye on in their life. He couldn’t find anything new. 

The two of them decided that either of them could be with whoever they want and that they didn’t have to give their soulmate any information if they didn’t want to. Ethan remembered the guilt he had felt when he slept with his high school crush, Danny, before he dropped out. 

He had told his soulmate and they didn’t judge him, telling him that they had been with other people as well. But, it had never been romantic. Both of them had this unspoken worry of falling in love with someone other than their soulmate. 

Ethan didn’t tell them the name of who he was thinking about dating. He felt like it would make things worse if he did fall for her. His soulmate seemed to agree, as he had no clue who they had fallen for. 

He stepped out of the shower when he finished and dried himself off before going to his room and getting dressed. He grabbed a white knitted sweater and black jeans before he went to the front room, where Greg was sleeping peacefully. 

He scooped his cat into his arm, not caring that some of the ugly cat’s hair would get on his Sweater. He smiled down at Greg’s grumpy face as he made his food. He sat the bowl and his cat down as he moved to get himself some orange juice. 

He just drank some out of the carton, then grabbed his jacket. Ethan walked out of the apartment, making sure to lock the door. He made sure to tell Greg to watch over the house before the door was closed. 

It was a beautiful day. While it was cold, the sun was shining and people were out and about. As he walked down the populated street, he couldn’t help but add a little pep to his step. He was ready to take on the day. 

He was lucky enough to get to his shop half an hour early and started on Paul’s bouquet. He weaved the flowers together, and within the hour it was finished. It was beautiful and delicate. Ethan was proud of it. 

He wrapped a white ribbon around the bouquet for Paul, wanting to make it look nice. It was lovely when people bought flowers for their soulmate. Something about it just felt intimate, and it was something Ethan loved to be a part of. 

When rock music softly played through the walls, Ethan smiled. It was nice, knowing the person he worked next to. It was even nicer that she was attractive, funny, nice, smart, and a good person. 

Paul came in at about one thirty, a little earlier than Ethan expected. The man’s eyes went wide when he saw the bouquet, thanking Ethan a million times over. Ethan just shrugged and took the eighty dollars for the well put together flower arrangement. 

He didn’t expect to be given a one hundred dollar bill. When he went to make change, Paul stopped him. “It’s a tip. This looks amazing, and I’m sure Emma is going to love it. So, you know, keep the change.” He gave a nervous smile and left. 

Ethan carefully put the bill into the register, his day now even better. Even though he accepted tips, no one ever tipped more than a few dollars, which was a bit of a joke. He thought about Paul’s soulmate and how lucky she was. He hoped that he could do things like that for his soulmate, or Lex, one day. 

He took a reasonably timed lunch break that day. He heard the music turn off and realized that Lex was taking her break. He thought he might as well join her. He locked his door just in time to see her walking out of her parlor. 

“So, where are we eating?” Ethan asked her. Lex looked over at him with a grin. 

“I was just going to walk over to Beanies, you’re welcome to join me.” She offered. 

Ethan nodded, and the two walked side by side, chatting about their days so far. Apparently Lex was having a good business day as well, and had already made a killing on walk-ins alone. 

He thought about what it would be like to get a tattoo of his own. He had seen some of Lex’s work, he would want her to be the one to do it. He wondered what his soulmate would think about his choice, and if they would comment on it. 

Soon they arrived at Beanies, and Lex opened the door for Ethan this time. He thanked her as he walked in, standing in line. He silently wondered where Hannah was, but Lex didn’t seem at all worried so he let it go. 

He got himself a large hot chocolate and a muffin that looked less than toxic or hard as a rock. It seemed like a safe bet when the barista behind the counter didn’t have to pull too hard to get it off of the plate that they were on. 

He walked to a table near the back and waited for Lex and his hot chocolate. The former walked over holding a sad looking breakfast sandwich. She pulled a packet of hot sauce out of her jacket’s pocket and put the spicy stuff on the inside.

“So, how much do you charge for tattoos?” Ethan asked, picking off a piece of his muffin and popping it into his mouth. 

“It depends, but usually it’s around a hundred bucks.” Lex told him, taking a big bite of her sandwich. “Why do you ask?”

“I was thinking about getting one.” He told her honestly. 

“Oh, well it’s a big decision. I put a lot of thought into the ones I have.”

“How did you decide on which ones to get?” Ethan asked, thanking the manager as she sat their drinks down at the table. 

“Most of mine were actually drawn by Hannah. She’s so talented, I swear she’s going to art school one day. Others I designed myself. One on my shoulder is from a postcard.” Lex told him, finishing the breakfast sandwich. 

Ethan nodded, thinking about the tattoos his soulmate had. He wondered how they had decided on them. He wondered what he would get. He wanted to show them a part of him. 

His attention was diverted from Lex when he noticed Paul walk into the coffee shop, badly hiding the bouquet of flowers behind his back. He sat at a table and waited until the shortest barista took off her apron and pulled down her hair for her break. ‘That must be Emma.’ Ethan thought. 

Emma sat down at Paul’s table, and Lex and Ethan watched as Paul awkwardly gave her the bouquet of flowers. Emma took the bouquet and nodded to whatever he had said, rolling her eyes fondly. 

“Wow.” Lex said, watching the exchange. 

“Yeah. One day, I want that.” Ethan told her honestly. 

“How did I expect that?” She smiled back. 

When the two of them finished, they stood back up and left. Ethan walked next to Lex and thought about what they had just done. Was it a date? It kind of felt like a date, but he hadn’t been on many dates. 

“So, that was a really good lunch date…” He said awkwardly. 

“It was a date?” Lex asked. There was a smile in her tone, but Ethan was still worried that he had offended her. 

“I mean, not if you didn’t want it to be.” He said quickly. His face was warm. “I was just thinking that maybe it was. Sorry if-”

“I’m teasing you. It was.” She laughed. Ethan calmed down. 

“Right.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. 

Soon they got back to their buildings and Ethan walked in, relaxing his shoulders. He sat by the phone and waited. 

It took until seven in the afternoon until something happened. The woman who had gotten roses a few days ago walked in, a new engagement ring on her finger. She walked up to the counter. 

“Hi. Do you do weddings?” She asked, tilting her head. 

Ethan felt his breath escape him, weddings were what kept his shop open. “Yes! Yes we do!”

“Perfect! I’m getting married to my soulmate in a few months, and I was hoping that you could make my bouquet out of roses.” She suggested. 

“Of course, and what roses would you want?” Ethan asked. 

“Red and lavender. Maybe also add some pink. And white gardenias.” She told him. He was glad that she already had an image in her head. 

“Well that’s doable. Can you come in sometime before the week of so that we can make it perfect?” He asked, giving his charming smile.

“Yeah. I have your card, so I’ll call you?” She suggested. 

“Sounds perfect.” Ethan smiled. 

She nodded, then bought a small ten dollar bouquet of red carnations. She left with a smile after giving him a decent tip. Ethan was stoked. 

A few hours later, Ethan closed up, making sure that the door was securely locked before he started on his walk home. He felt a fuzzy feeling in his chest when he thought about the lunch date with Lex. It was something he couldn’t wait to tell Greg about. 

When he walked inside, he noticed Greg laying on the top of the couch, sleeping. Ethan walked over and patted his head, waking him up. He fed him, and Greg ate his food happily. 

He then started on his own dinner. He made himself an egg sandwich with cheese, making over easy eggs to put on the sandwich. He added a dash of hot sauce and sat at his table, digging in. He was proud of himself for remembering dinner. 

He took time to enjoy his dinner, even turning on the tv. He changed the channel to a show about pregnant teens. God, he loved trash television. It reminded him of some of the kids at Hatchet Field High. Each year there was at least one person who got knocked up. 

He found no issue in deciding to sleep on the couch. With Greg snoring on his stomach, there was no problem staying on the couch. He turned the tv off as he felt himself falling asleep and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. 

He woke up to Greg hitting his chest. He was in a good mood for once. Ethan scooped him up and walked over to the fridge, feeding his fur baby. He grabbed an apple on his way out before locking the door, taking a bite as he walked down the street. 

He smiled at a few of the people looking at him as he walked to the flower shop. He unlocked the door and walked in, setting up to open for the day by taking some of the dead flowers and tossing them. 

He swept up and spent his morning singing to himself. He smiled as he looked outside. The sky felt prettier than normal. He felt like he was in a musical, where everything was happy and would end up perfect. 

A guy walked in with his hands stuffed into his khaki’s pockets. He had a dark mustache and hard eyes. “Yeah, hey, could I get some flowers?” He was chewing gum. 

“Well that is my job. What kind would you like?” Ethan asked. 

“Somethin’... romantic. But not too romantic.” 

“I think that pink roses would work. Romantic but not as much as red. Sure to please anyone who receives them.”

“Great, I’ll get a bouquet of those.”

“Premade, we only have bouquets of twelve. Is that alright?” Ethan told him. The guy looked like he wasn’t above yelling at him about the price. 

“Sure, whatever.”

“That’ll be forty dollars.” Ethan told him, pulling one of the beautiful pink bouquets from behind his desk.

To the man’s credit, all he did was grumble as he pulled his wallet out to pay. Ethan looked down at the name on the card, Ted J. He silently wondered what the J stood for as he swiped the card and handed over the flowers. 

Ted left after collecting his card. Ethan pulled out his phone and scrolled through tumblr until he heard rock music from the wall. He smiled to himself, thinking about Lex. He almost couldn’t wait to see her again. 

Ethan took time to breathe as he waited for the rock music to be turned off. Before then, a man walked in. He seemed to be normal as anyone, and he wasn’t someone Ethan recognized from Hatchet Field. It was odd that he was eating an apple. 

The strange man walked over and bought a singular daisey for a dollar. “So, it’s getting late in the day. Have you taken your lunch break yet?” He asked, trying to make conversation. 

“I’m about to, actually.” Ethan smiled politely up at him. He looked down at the card before he handed it back, ‘Wilbur Cross’ was the man’s name. 

“Oh, well you should try the place on main street. Best tacos I’ve ever had.” Wilbur told him, giving him a sly smile. It sent uncomfortable shivers down Ethan’s spine. He was thankful when the man walked out, smelling the flower that he had bought. 

Ethan watched him walk out, tossing the half eaten apple into the bin on his way out. It had obviously been thrown with more than enough force than needed, as there was a loud ‘bang’ when it hit the metal side, making Ethan flinch. 

Ethan walked out and noticed Lex already walking down the street. She turned and waved at him, and he jogged up to her. She was wearing an old yellow plaid jacket. He recognized it as one that Hannah had worn a few times. He had to admit, Lex looked better in it, but Lex would look better than everyone wearing anything. She was just that beautiful.

The two of them talked as they walked down the street, Ethan letting Lex lead them to wherever they would be having lunch. She eventually chose a sketchy taco truck parked in front of a playground. 

When the amazing smell hit him, Ethan was thankful for Lex’s amazing taste. The two of them walked to the window and ordered, Lex smiling at him as she paid for the two of them. Ethan couldn’t even pretend to be angry with the cute smile she gave him. 

With their food, they sat at a bench. Ethan looked down at Lex and wondered what her soulmate would be like. They would be someone badass and smart, like she was. And they wouldn’t be afraid of anyone or anything. 

Lex was thinking the same thing about Ethan. She thought of someone just as kind as Ethan surprising him with flowers that they had planted together. It would be disgustingly cute. And if Ethan would leave her for someone like that, she couldn’t blame him. 

She pushed the thoughts out of her head and rested her head on Ethan’s shoulder. She felt a shift and looked up to see him smiling a dumb and lovestruck smile at her. She had never wanted to kiss someone so badly, but she didn’t. Not yet. 

“How’s the burrito?” She asked instead, wanting to just take in their world for a little bit longer. Things had been pretty good since she started talking to Ethan. He just… fit into her life. She wondered if that’s what it would be like with her soulmate. She hoped so, because it felt amazing. Even Hannah liked him. 

“It’s good. It’s perfect actually.” The way he said the second part, looking at her with his big eyes and the same smile, made her heart swell. She wanted to stay in that moment forever. 

“What a fucking nerd.” She smiled back. She hoped her smile could convey what she was trying to communicate. He gave a soft laugh, so she assumed they did. 

They sat like that for a while, even after they had finished their food. At some point, Ethan had wrapped his arm around Lex and she could see the peak of a tattoo from under his sleeve. She didn’t dare move it though, she didn’t want the crushing disappointment of proof that he wasn’t her soulmate yet. 

Even though it was the perfect day, with birds chirping and the sun shining, they had to get back to work. Lex sent Ethan ahead, wanting to grab a drink to take back with her. She thought back to that morning, and when she had to calm Hannah down from a panic attack. Something about ‘smoke in the walls and a bad man’. When she promised her sister that she would look out for it, Hannah seemed to calm down. 

She waited in the short line and about ten minutes later she was walking back sipping on a cherry coke. People didn’t pay her much attention as she walked, and she returned the favor. 

She only looked up when she got back. A few people had gathered around, looking inside the shop. Ethan was still outside, but he was on his knees. The door to his shop was wide opened. There were fat tears rolling down his cheeks. 

Lex slowly walked over and her breath was taken away. His shop was ruined. It was almost blurry. The register was on the floor and there was smoke coming from the back door. It was then that she heard beeps coming from a smoke alarm behind the closed door to the back room. 

Ethan broke down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry!  
> Quick question- do you prefer me posting one chapter weekly or as they come out? Comments and Kudos are appreciated but not mandatory, have a lovely day!


	4. Finding Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To cheer Ethan up, he and Lex go on a date.

It took about two months to get everything sorted. Ethan got a small insurance payment and the shop closed. It was enough so that he may have time to find a new job, maybe with a month of rent and a few weeks of groceries.

He’d had to go to his lowest point and take a job at ‘Beanies’. Apparently Emma, the annoyed barista, had finally quit. Ethan was a good singer, but now he had to deal with assholes paying him less than a dollar to sing something. It was harder and it paid less.

Another issue was that it took two months too long to get the fill insurance payment, and Ethan was being evicted. He thought that he didn’t have much, but as he piled things into boxes he realized that he could have less. It’d make moving easier.

Everything was kind of a blur. He remembered little snippets of the past two months. He remembered Lex comforting him, but not what she had said. Her offering to let him move in with her when he got the eviction notice, but he didn’t remember agreeing to it.

Yet there he was, packing up his things to live with his girlfriend. Who he had only been with for a few months. To say that he was nervous was a drastic understatement. While it wasn’t the biggest thing on his plate, it was still something constantly on his mind.

He wished that he had the money for therapy. Maybe then he could work some of this shit out.

He pushed the thought aside and continued to pack. Ethan found himself throwing a lot of stuff away, not wanting to overcrowd Lex with all of his stuff. She didn’t need that. She was already letting him stay at her place. He didn’t want to be more of a burden than needed.

It took a few more hours, but soon all of his things were in boxes. He had already sold his bed and dresser, since Lex and Hannah lived in a two room apartment. There was no room for those there.

Ethan carried his boxes down to his old beaten up truck. He had spent most of the insurance money on fixing up the truck. It could finally drive a few miles without breaking down again. It was in better shape than when he had first bought it for fifty dollars.

It took a few trips, but soon all of the boxes were in the truck and strapped down. Ethan was meeting with the landlord in a week to give the old man his keys. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but he did like the old man. He was kind of like a grandpa, or like a cooky old uncle. But unlike Ethan’s grandpa, he probably wasn’t addicted to meth.

The last thing he got was Greg, who he sat in the passenger seat. Greg didn’t look scared or uncomfortable, so Ethan didn’t see the use of putting him in the crate.

Ethan climbed into the truck, sending a quick text to Lex telling her that he was on his way over. She sent a thumbs up, and then Ethan started driving. The road wasn’t as crowded as it usually was on a Saturday, and Ethan didn’t care enough to wonder why.

He pulled up to Lex’s apartment complex and sighed. He carefully scooped Greg into his arms and got out of the truck. He climbed the stairs to Lex’s door and knocked. Hannah was the one to open the door, and her eyes lit up when she saw Greg.

“Hey Banana Split,” Ethan smiled, “do you think you could bring Greg here inside and take care of him while your sister and I unpack?” Her smile could light up a room when he gave her the cat.

Lex came into the room. She was still in her pajamas. She had on a long sleeved pink shirt for a movie called ‘Santa Claus Goes to High School’ and soft looking pants covered in hearts. Her hair was a mess.

Ethan’s heart swelled at the sight of her, and his smile became more genuine.

“Alright. Let’s get to work.” Lex gave him a tired smile and walked down with him. She held his hand as they walked down the steps, and Ethan was sure that his mind should be somewhere else, but he didn’t mind.

They brought the boxes up, making sure that they wouldn’t be in Hannah’s way. Ethan was the one to bring the last few boxes up while Lex unpacked. Ethan didn’t mind that she was essentially going through his stuff, because he threw out all of the pictures of his family. Except for one of him and his uncle Henry.

He walked in to see Hannah on the couch, holding Greg like a baby. He put the boxes down and snapped a photo on his phone. It was sweet that Greg liked Hannah enough to let her do so without scratching her.

He looked around the small apartment. It was nice. Art was covering a lot of the walls, lots of it familiar. Ethan couldn’t put his finger on what it reminded him of, but it was nice. Comforting. And the style was just comfortable. From magnets on the fridge to a soft looking rug. It looked more like a home than Ethan’s apartment ever did.

He couldn’t see Lex, and he didn’t want to bother Hannah, so he decided to look for his… girlfriend. He felt like that was the right word. He was moving in with her, so that meant something. Since she had offered.

He explored his new home and walked down the hall. It was easy to see who’s room was who’s. Hannah’s door had her name on it in wooden letters. The ‘H’ had little honey bee toys glued to it, and the ‘A’ had a stuffed spider. All of the letters were painted a soft blue.

He looked at Lex’s door, and it was slightly open. He carefully knocked, not wanting to overstep. “Come in!” Lex called.

Ethan opened the door to see Lex putting his pillows onto the king sized bed. There was also his stuffed tiger on the middle of the bed. He had assumed that he would be on the couch, but it seemed that Lex had other ideas, but he couldn’t complain.

Lex had set up the photo of him and his uncle on the bedside table. When she noticed him looking at it, she gave him a smile. “Is that your dad?”

“No. My uncle. Coolest guy in the world.” Ethan smiled back.

“Seems it. So, where is he?”

“Um, in Hatchet Field.” Ethan told her honestly.

“That shit hole?” Her eyebrows rose.

“I know. He teaches biology at the university. His students love him. I don’t think he’d ever consider moving.”

Lex nodded. “Well I get that. My dad was like that for a while. Then when we found out about this new program for kids like Hannah, he changed his mind.”

“Why don’t you guys live with him?” Ethan asked. Lex was only nineteen. He had found that out a few weeks ago, and it was a shock. He had been sure that she was older than him. He wondered if they had gone to the same school.

Lex didn’t even pause at the question. “I had enough money for this place, and Hannah wouldn’t let me leave. So as long as she stays in school and keeps a full stomach, she’s with me.”

Ethan could respect that; he could respect anything Lex did. She was someone that thought about what she did. Ethan was sure that she would never end up like he did. Without a job. Without a home.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Lex looked at the boxes of his clothes. Her shoulders were slightly slumped. “You know, I could just unpack myself.” He offered, but she shook her head.

“No. You had to pack all of this up already. We need a break.” Lex told him, dramatically flopping back on the bed.

“What if we went out?” Ethan suggested.

Lex lit up a bit, “Sure. I could call Hannah’s babysitter and we could go to Beanies or something.”

Ethan was actually suggesting that they go out and bring Hannah along, but once again he was happy with what Lex was suggesting. He decided to just nod and lay back on the bed with her. He needed a moment just to relax.

He felt a bit lighter when Lex moved to hold his hand. He continued to stare at the ceiling, making pictures from the uneven surface. He let his shoulders completely relax and he closed his eyes for a moment. He wanted to stay there forever. When he was with her, things felt right. Not as bad as they really were.

They stayed like that for a while, neither wanting to move. Ethan was almost ready to fall asleep when he felt a shift. He turned his head and found his nose almost touching Lex’s. She had a soft smile on as they made eye contact.

Ethan slowly moved to kiss her, giving her time and means to stop him. She didn’t. Instead she closed her eyes and kissed him back. As they went, Ethan slowly moved his hand to cradle her neck.

Lex was the one to pull away. Ethan opened his eyes and saw Lex smiling at him. “I’m going to call Hannah’s babysitter now.”

“Okay.”

Lex smiled as she got up and went… somewhere to get her phone. Ethan took a moment when he sat up to keep the fuzzy feeling in his chest for a bit longer. He was surprised that it had taken him so long to kiss her.

When Lex came back into the room after about twenty minutes, she had changed as well. Her hair was neat and she had a long sleeved black dress on. Ethan had trouble keeping his eyes off of her.

“So Grace should be here in like, ten minutes. I told her to feed your cat if we’re out past ten. Is that cool?”

Ethan just nodded. His mouth was dry. If he tried to speak, he would just end up embarrassing himself. He chose silence and a thumbs up.

Lex snorted and grabbed his hand, pulling him to stand up. He followed her into the front room, where Hannah was still playing with Greg. The feline was purring loudly as Hannah pet him. He was also wearing a cowboy hat that looked like it had belonged to a stuffed toy before Greg entered the house.

Lex sat next to Hannah, her face softening. “Hey Banana.”

“Hey.”

“Ethan and I are going to go out for a bit. Grace is coming over to watch you. Is that okay?” Her voice was soft and motherly.

Hannah nodded with a shy smile, then quickly smiled at Ethan. He gave her a smile back and walked over, sitting next to Lex.

Soon enough, there was a knock on the door. Hannah walked over and opened the door. A consertive looking girl was standing at the door, holding a bag filled with what seemed to be board games and activities for Hannah.

Ethan looked at her and noticed her arm with just a small heart tattooed on it. It was cute, something he had seen other soulmates do. Maybe one day he would do the same, but for Lex. If he could gather the courage to go into her shop for a tattoo.

Probably not anytime soon.

Lex talked to Grace, telling her that her and Ethan most likely wouldn’t be back until after Hannah’s bed time. She was told that she could leave after midnight, since Hannah didn’t wake up after midnight most nights.

Grace informed Lex that she was making Hannah chicken nuggets and tater tots for dinner, and then Lex was grabbing Ethan’s hand and pulling him outside. He called a quick goodbye to Hannah before she shut and locked the door.

“So, where do you want to go? Now that my truck can drive more than three miles without breaking down the world is our limit.” Lex smiled at that.

“Let’s splurge then. I have a little cash tucked away, and you’ve had a rough few months. I say we go to the Red Lobster near the edge of town.” She suggested, and Ethan nodded. It sounded nice and fancy.

Ethan opened the car door for her, and she laughed at him. He loved her laugh. It was loud and sharp and real. It was better than music. Ethan wanted to make her laugh forever.

He climbed in and turned the key. The struck sputtered to life and he started the thirty minute drive. Lex was the one to turn on the radio, classic rock then coming through the shitty speakers of the truck.

When they arrived, Ethan decided to hold Lex’s hand as they walked in. She didn’t pull away, so he considered it a win. Instead, she gave him one of the warmest smiles he had ever seen. He felt his insides get that warm and calming feeling once again.

They walked in and were led to a booth. Ethan sat across from Lex and gave her an awkward smile. He took the menus from the hostess and looked down to distract himself. He already knew that he was going to get the lobster bisque. It was what he always ordered.

He thought about the last time he was eating out. It was on a date in high school. Danny had brought him to the Red Lobster in Hatchet Field. He got the lobster bisque and Danny got the shrimp tacos. It was the night Ethan learned he was allergic to shrimp but not lobster. It was an odd and awkward trip to the hospital.

He looked up when Lex started talking. She went on about how glad she was to be able to have a night out. Things had apparently been more hectic in the parlor, business booming for some reason.

He leaned on his hand and listened to her. He was happy that she was doing so well. He knew that if he was ever going to get a tattoo, she’d be the one to give it to him. He’d seen a few works of her art, and they were all amazing.

“So, do you have any tattoos?” He asked.

“Oh! Yeah. Quite a few actually. Hannah drew one on my arm, and I’ve done the rest. I’ll have to show them to you sometime.” She smiled. “What about you? I’ve seen the tip of one on your arm.” She pointed out.

“Well… they’re my soulmate’s.” He blushed and looked down. Usually when his soulmate came up, dates became awkward. But Lex just shrugged and smiled.

“That’s fine. My soulmate and I agreed that we can see other people.”

“Mine too.”

They smiled at each other, neither connecting any dots in the world. They just sat at the table and waited for the waitress.

Soon enough she came, and took their order. Ethan silently thanked god when Lex got the salmon, glad he would at least be able to kiss her again without going into shock.

They continued soft conversation as they waited for their food.

“So, how are things down at Beanies?”

“They fucking suck. I thought working at Ihop in high school was bad? Every day at least one asshole tips just to embarrass me.” Ethan complained.

“Maybe they just like your voice. I think you sound amazing when you sing.” She held his hand.

“When have you heard me sing?” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“There may or may not be a video on the Beanie’s webpage.” Ethan could see her trying not to laugh. He groaned and put his head on the table.

He looked up as a new waitress came. He smiled, it was Emma. Who used to have his job. Who looked a hell of a lot happier than she ever had working at Beanies. He was jealous. She gave them their food without saying much.

Ethan dug in, basking in the bisque. He knew it was most likely frozen and just reheated when he ordered it, maybe even in a microwave. But damn, it was tasty. And with a few of those golden cheesy biscuits on the side. It made it the perfect date.

Ethan watched Lex eat her salmon and settled into the comfort that fell during the relative silence between the two of them. He smiled when Lex gave him the last biscuit. He swore that if he ever had to choose a last meal, this would be it.

Lex laughed at him when he voiced the thought. Her eyes lit up as she laughed, and Ethan was positive that his soulmate could never compare to her. He just wanted to be with her, always. He just wanted to spend all of his time with her.

He was pretty sure that she felt the same.

They continued talking over the food. While it was mostly small talk, it was enough to keep Ethan’s mind off of everything that had happened. He was almost completely distracted from the fact that all of his dreams had been crushed and he had a soul crushing job at a singing coffee shop.

When he caught himself spiraling, he pulled himself out of it. He shoved those feelings down and thanked Lex when she paid for their meal. Instead, he focused on how Lex seemed to be having a good time.

They walked out and climbed into Ethan’s old truck. It was past dark and getting late. Ethan was sure that only bars were open at that point. Lex turned on the radio. She turned to Ethan with a comfortable smile “Mind if I smoke?” She asked.

“Not a problem.” He replied.

She took a cigarette out of her bag and lit it. The rest of the drive was spent in a comfortable silence.

Ethan parked and the two of them got out at the apartment complex. Ethan walked up the stairs with her, and watched as Lex fumbled with the key.

She turned around and looked up at him. Her eyes were shining and her pupils were dilated. It left Ethan breathless.

“So are you going to kiss me or not?”

That was all it took. Ethan kissed her, and she took no time to kiss him back. In the back of his mind, Ethan noted that she tasted like cherries and smoke. It was something Ethan could get addicted to.

She opened the door and pulled him by his shirt inside. The door almost slammed shut, and Lex hardly remembered to lock it behind her. The two of them stumbled to their bedroom, not watching where they were going.

Lex pushed Ethan onto the bed, smiling down at his starry eyed expression. She straddled his lap and kissed him again. His hands found their way to her hips and she slipped a hand under his shirt.

Ethan pulled away and started kissing her neck. When he nipped, Lex couldn't help the sound that escaped her throat.

Ethan pulled away, “What about Hannah, what if she hears us?”

“As long as we’re quiet we’ll be fine. She’s a heavy sleeper.” Lex reassured him.

“And this, all of where this is going, this is okay?”

“Yes.”

Ethan smiled as he kissed her again. Lex didn’t hesitate pulling his shirt over his head as she kissed him again.

It was then that she saw his tattoos. Her tattoos. She pulled away.

“Oh my god.”

Ethan tilted his head like a confused puppy. He wasn’t sure what he had done, but Lex was looking at him with wide eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Your tattoos…” She mumbled.

“I know, there’s a lot of them. Is it too much?”

Lex didn’t know what to do, so she moved her sleeve to show her shoulder. Ethan’s eyes widened, showing that he understood.

“Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Finally! This was the last pre-written chapter day of posting, but I have some other stuff planned. I know that people thought that this is a slow burn, and I hope no one is disappointed. I hope you enjoyed! Comments and Kudos are appreciated but not mandatory. This chapter was sponsored by Red Lobster. (jk jk)


	5. Hannah and Ethan’s Super Awesome French Toast and Board Games Bonding Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After refusing to talk to Lex about what happened, Ethan babysits Hannah for a day!

Ethan watched as Lex left for work. She had been told last minute that she was working on Saturday, and Grace Chastity was busy. It all fell onto Ethan to watch the nine year old. While he found no problem with it, having watched his cousin for weeks at a time one summer, Lex had been a wreck over it. 

He looked down at a list of things that he needed to get done. Breakfast was in bold. Ethan nodded to himself, standing and walking into their kitchen. It was bigger than the one at his old apartment, and that took getting used to. 

Ethan assumed that he had time to make the food. He kept himself from putting Greg’s food in the little bowl, since he had taken to sleeping on Hannah’s bed. The traitor. Ethan had just gotten used to sleeping in a bed with someone else. 

He snooped through the cabinets, trying to remember what Hannah liked. While he would usually settle for an apple, Hannah hated the grainy texture. She had told him when he had offered her a slice of his the day after… everything. 

Lex had specifically told him that he couldn’t let Hannah have ice cream for every meal. He had just laughed and told her that he wasn’t planning on it. It was a bold faced lie and both of them knew it. 

Ethan decided on french toast. He knew Hannah liked it and it was one of the few things that he knew how to make. His uncle had taught him before he had gotten struck by lightning. That was when Uncle Henry went outside for reasons other than teaching. 

He took two eggs from the fridge and cracked the shells, letting the insides fall into a bowl. He threw the shells away and grabbed all of the spices he would need. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice. He grabbed the vanilla extract and sugar once he had set them onto the table. 

As he mixed non-measured amounts of each extra ingredient into the eggs, he started humming to himself. It was something Lex had been singing in the shower that morning that stuck in his head. It was powerful and hopeful, he liked it. 

Just when he finished mixing, he heard Hannah’s door open. The first he saw come into his sight was a very happy looking cat. Greg had taken the move better than anyone could’ve hoped for. Ethan assumed that he had Hannah to thank for that. 

Next came Hannah. She had on ‘Santa Claus Goes To High School’ pjs. They kind of looked like the elves’ costumes. Her hair was a little messy. She was adorable. 

“Good morning Banana Split.” Ethan smiled at her. She smiled tiredly back as she walked into the kitchen. 

“What’s for breakfast?” She asked. 

“I am making you my super amazing french toast.” Ethan told her. 

“What makes it so amazing?” She asked, tilting her head a little. Her eyes had brightened with curiosity. 

“Magic!” He smiled, getting the bread ready. Five pieces was more than enough for the both of them. 

“Why are you putting magic in french toast?” She asked. 

“It’s magic to make sure that we have the best day ever! And it’s supposed to make these taste extra yummy!” Ethan told her. It was what Henry had told him when he had made the same thing years ago. When Hannah’s smile got even wider, Ethan felt pride. “You’ll tell me if it works, right Banana?” 

She nodded her head enthusiastically. Ethan watched as she pulled a pencil and paper from a shelf and started drawing as he cooked. 

Ethan made sure not to burn the french toast. He stacked the pieces onto a plate, then got two others. He walked over and sat them down on the table. 

“So, Banana, what do you want on your toast?” He asked. 

She took a moment to think carefully. Ethan could see the gears turning in her head as she stared at the plate. “Bananas...whipped cream...and cereal!” She decided. Her eyes were too excited for him to tell her that that would be too much sugar. 

He set to making her french toast dreams a reality. He stacked the two pieces on a plate and went to the kitchen. He piled everything she wanted on both slices and walked back to the girl. She looked as happy as could be as she dug into the sugary breakfast. 

Ethan settled for an ungodly amount of butter and syrup on his. The two of them ate in relative silence, but neither seemed to mind. Greg even decided not to bother the two of them, just sitting and staring at them while waiting to be fed. 

Ethan knew that he would have to deal with an oncoming sugar rush when breakfast was finished, so he thought of things that the two of them could do together. His mind tried to search through his own childhood, but he stopped looking back once he realized that he would have more luck finding a needle in a haystack. 

Ethan ate about half of his breakfast while Hannah finished hers. She had a slight whipped cream mustache and her hands were covered in syrup, but she looked happy. That was all Ethan could ask for. 

He put their dishes and his leftovers away. He walked back to the table and smiled at her. “Before we get this day started, let's go wash up. Is that okay?”

He walked with her to the bathroom, where the first thing Hannah did was wash her hands after Ethan had suggested it. The next thing the two of them did was brush their teeth. Hannah got a little timer that her and Lex’s dad had gotten them and they brushed until it went off. 

Hannah then asked Ethan to do her hair. She looked up at him with hopeful eyes, holding two hairbands and a brush. Ethan decided that he had no other choice but to oblige and do as she asked. 

He wasn’t sure what she wanted. He just carefully started brushing her hair. He was good enough at that, trying to remember what he would do with some of his cousins when they had forced him to do their hair. 

It had been years, but he could still braid well enough. He carefully and strategically gave her two braided pigtails, and they were relatively even. When she smiled at him after looking in the mirror, he knew that he had done a good job. 

“So, Banana, what should we do today?” He asked. 

Once again, the gears in her head started spinning. Ethan wasn’t sure of what to expect. She seemed to finally come to a conclusion, as her eyes lit up. 

“We should go to the park!” She stated definitively. 

“Alright. The park. After you get dressed, alright?” He smiled. She nodded and ran back to his room. 

He went back to the kitchen to see Greg. As soon as the cat saw him, he began to scream at his food bowl. Ethan rolled his eyes fondly as he made the cats breakfast with care. Greg was quiet again as he began to eat. 

Hannah came out of her room in overalls and a shirt. Ethan smiled at her as she looked up at him with what seemed to be confusion. 

“What’s wrong Banana Split?” He asked. 

“You need to get dressed too.” She stated. 

Ethan looked down to realize that he was still wearing his pajamas. “You’re right. Could you watch Greg while I get dressed?”

Once Hannah gave him an enthusiastic nod, Ethan walked back to the bedroom. He closed the door and looked at the bed and thought about the night before. He and Lex hadn’t known what to say to each other. Conversation had stopped until she found out about the extra shift. 

He changed into a green flannel and jeans, looking into the mirror and smiling at his reflection. He looked like his old shop teacher. He remembered the man coming into his flower shop a few months back with a woman he didn’t recognize. 

He walked out to see Hannah talking to Greg. He walked by and smiled, asking if she was ready to go. When she nodded, the two of them left. He double checked to make sure that the door was locked. 

He let her into the back of the truck. She sat in the middle and he smiled, climbing in himself. He knew where the nearest park was. It was where he and Lex went on the day that his shop burnt down. 

He pulled up to the park and noticed that it was pretty full. Ethan wasn’t sure how comfortable Hannah was around crowds. While he had known her for around five months now, they were always in lowkey areas with just him, Lex, and her. 

“Hey Banana, park’s pretty full. Are you sure that you want to do this?” He asked, looking back at her. 

She shook her head timidly. Ethan didn’t quite believe her, but before he could question it she was already getting out of the car. Ethan ignored the voice in his head that something was amiss and followed Hannah out.

Things went smoothly for around ten minutes. While looking nervous, Hannah didn’t seem too bothered. The first thing Ethan noticed was her biting her nails or snapping her fingers. He had seen her doing that when she was excited or slightly overwhelmed. He kept his eyes on her. 

The slight stimming turned onto her pulling on her pigtails and scratching her arm. Her breathing was off and she looked like a younger version of him right before a panic attack. Ethan decided to intervene. 

When he got Hannah back to the truck she was hyperventilating. He showed her how to breathe and tried to use the gentlest voice he had to lead her through the few techniques he knew. It took a few tries, but Hannah was able to breathe normally again. 

“Is everything okay Banana Split?” He asked, staying on her level. Hannah shook her head. 

“Do you want to go home?” He asked. She nodded. 

He helped her into the back of the truck and drove them back to the apartment. The drive was silent, and a little tense. Ethan wasn’t sure of what to do.

After he parked, he walked Hannah up to the apartment, opening the door for her. She walked to the couch and sat down. Ethan offered her a soft blanket from his and Lex’s room, which she took thankfully. 

Once the blanket was draped over her shoulders and Hannah was rubbing the soft fabric between her thumb and finger, Ethan started on making her hot cocoa. He wasn’t sure of exactly what to do, but Hannah seemed to be doing better. 

He cooled her drink down with cream, then brought the mug over, setting it on the table. When she looked up, he offered a comforting smile. She gave him a shy smile back as she carefully took the mug. 

They sat on the couch together, falling into a more comfortable silence. There was the slight whirring of the heater and the muffled city noises from beyond the apartment. Ethan let himself relax next to Hannah. 

“Alright. Well the day isn't over yet. What do you say we play a little game?” Ethan suggested. Hannah looked up and tilted her head. 

“I have Life, Clue, Monopoly, and Sorry. Do any of those sound good?” Ethan asked. Hannah nodded, a soft smile forming. 

“Does Monopoly sound good to you?” He asked with a smile. When she nodded he went to the closet where the games were stored. He pulled Monopoly down and walked back to Hannah, smiling as he sat the board up. 

He let Hannah have the cat piece while he took the racecar. They didn’t exactly play by the rules, but the two of them had a good time. Ethan even got Hannah to laugh by fake crying when she stole his property. 

Hannah won, obviously. She was much better at having her finances in order than Ethan was. And he had owed her lots after he had bought her ‘get out of jail free’ card. 

For lunch, Ethan made them grilled cheese. He knew that it was Hannah’s favorite, and she deserved it for being the winner of the game. He also prided himself of being able to make the best grilled cheese. 

He made tomato soup to go with the grilled cheese, glad that it was still cold enough outside to warrant making so many comfort foods. As he finished with the food, he walked back to Hannah, who was still on the couch. 

She tilted her head, so he explained. “I know that it’s not normal, but today’s supposed to be a fun day. I think that today it’s okay to eat in the front room.” He smiled. “We can watch cartoons while we eat!” 

Hannah smiled and nodded, so Ethan sat the foo down and turned on the tv. Something he didn’t recognize was on, but Hannah seemed excited so he didn’t show his disinterest. He sat next to her and ate his grilled cheese. 

After they finished, Ethan washed the dishes and put them away. He enjoyed doing so, the warm water a comfort. Ethan decided that if there was one feeling that he could have for the rest of his life, it would be the feeling of sinking into a warm bath. 

After he finished the dishes, he walked back to the couch and sat next to Hannah. She smiled up at him as he sat down, then looked back at the television. He watched the show in more detail, having nothing better to do. 

He became so engrossed in the lives of these magical ponies, that he was only pulled out of the world when a soft weight hit his arm. Ethan looked down to see Hannah fast asleep and using his arm as a pillow. 

He felt a warmth in his chest as he moved to make her as comfortable as possible. He loved her. It was all that he could think. He was sure that this feeling was what a parent should feel when they look down at their child. He would die to protect her. 

Ethan knew that Lex loved Hannah more than anything. He had always known. It was one of the reasons why he had fallen in love with the woman. She was loyal and protective- but now he understood why. When Hannah trusted you, it felt like you could do anything. 

He looked back at the television, holding Hannah close, and let himself relax. He was proud of how the day had gone. It was only made better when Greg hopped onto his lap and started purring. It was so relaxing that he didn’t realize that he was falling asleep. 

When Lex opened the door, she was not expecting for her heart to explode. She saw her boyfriend with Hannah curled up next to him. Hannah was a silent sleeper, while Ethan lightly snored. Both were fast asleep. 

She couldn’t help herself when she pulled out her phone and snapped a few photos before walking over. She had a surprise for the two of them. 

Lex woke Hannah up first. She smiled when she saw her older sister and hugged her tightly. Lex smiled as she hugged her back. It was always amazing to come home to her little sister.

Ethan woke up with a start, confused on when he had fallen asleep. He looked around and his shoulders relaxed when he saw Lex and Hannah smiling at him. Lex had a bag in one of her hands and a big smile. 

“Today was a big day!” She addressed Hannah, “It was the first time you and Ethan got to hang out together just the two of you. Was it a good day or a bad day?” She asked. 

“A good day!” Hannah answered with a big smile. 

“Exactly! So, I thought I could make it an even better day with ice cream for dinner!” Lex held the bag up. Ethan and Hannah cheered. 

Lex gave Hannah her banana split while giving Ethan his styrofoam bowl of rocky road. He smiled at her as she sat next to him with her strawberry ice cream. 

“How was work?” He asked, digging into the sugary treat. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten all three meals. Hannah was a good influence on him. 

“Honestly? Shit. Frank wouldn’t get off of my ass. Apparently a few years ago there was this big thing over a fucking doll, so now every time we get a new hot shot toy we need to be on ‘maximum security’ like we’re in a prision and not a fucking toy store!” She complained. 

Ethan nodded, “Yeah. My boss Nora can be like that too. Apparently one year someone tried to poison the coffee.”

“What the hell is with that town?” Lex asked, and Ethan just shrugged. They smiled at each other. 

They ate the rest of their dinner quietly. Hannah finished first, and Lex sent her off to get ready for bed. Then it was just her and Ethan. Ethan and Lex. The two of them looked at each other awkwardly, and Ethan didn’t know what he was going to say to her. 

He continued not knowing what to say as they got ready for bed themselves. Hannah had been put to bed and Greg had been fed. It was just the two of them alone to talk about all of their issues. Neither wanted to. 

“We need to talk about it.” Ethan told her, pulling off his shirt. 

“I know.” Lex sighed, changing into her own pjs. 

“I think I’m too tired to do it now though. We both have off tomorrow. How about after lunch?”

“Are you trying to schedule a conversation?” Lex’s eyebrows shot up. Ethan shrugged. “Fine.” She told him. 

Tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love a good filler chapter, don't we? I'm a little worried that I didn't write Hannah correctly, so constructive criticism is welcome on this chapter! I've been waiting to do a Hannah an Ethan chapter, so this was really fun to write. I hope that you enjoyed! Kudos and comments are appreciated but not mandatory! Have a lovely day.


	6. Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan and Lex talk about things and grow more comfortable with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Child abuse is mentioned in this chapter

Ethan felt his chest tighten as he closed his eyes. He felt like there was a weight too heavy for him to lift on his own. He took a few deep breaths as he tried to give himself some sort of calm. Lex was asleep next to him. She was a silent sleeper like her sister. 

His mind was racing still; she was his soulmate. He had been dating her for months. He had gone through everything feeling guilty when she was his soulmate the entire time. He told her how much he loved her. He was such an idiot. 

Ethan looked at the ceiling in the darkness. He was glad that there hadn’t been a falling out when they had found out. They had kind of just… looked at each other and silently agreed that they weren’t ready to talk about it. 

The day with Hannah had helped him take the breather he needed. Ethan liked hanging out with the younger Foster. She was sweet and seemed to understand him. He hoped that he would be a good influence on her. 

Lex turned and snuggled up to him. Ethan carefully wrapped his arm around her, the weight on his chest lifting slightly. He let out a breath and closed his eyes. With the weight lifted, he realized how tired he was. 

Ethan was then thrust into another memory that he had spent years trying to forget. 

He was older, maybe thirteen this time. His dad wanted him to play a sport. Wanted Ethan to be good at something, anything. He was a failure at school because he couldn’t focus on the reading or he would mix up the letters in words. Gymnastics was ‘too queer’ to count as a sport to his dad, even if Ethan was amazing at it. 

He was signed up for baseball. Ethan wasn't in love with it. When he wasn’t skipping practice, he was missing the ball or not even making the throw all the way to the bat. It wasn’t that he wasn’t strong enough to throw the ball, he just couldn’t give less of a shit. 

He didn’t mind being benched most of the time, honestly he appreciated it. The coach only put him in the game if someone twisted an ankle when running the bases, and that had only happened once. They had lost the game. 

His dad sat him down the week before his last game. Apparently he had threatened the coach, and Ethan would be playing. His dad was taking a few of his friends to the game, and it was up to Ethan not to disappoint him. 

Ethan learned he had a good arm that week. When he actually tried he could throw a decent fastball. The coach even patted him on the back and gave him a proud smile. Ethan had never been more proud of himself. 

He still sucked when it came to batting. He tried, but his coach told him that no one could learn to be the perfect batter in a week. He didn’t understand that Ethan didn’t have a choice. 

The day of the game came, and Ethan was nervous. His dad was acting a lot nicer than usual, and it made Ethan even more nervous, thinking of all of the ways that the day could go wrong. On the drive to the game, his dad turned to him. 

“Listen, kid. I know that you’re not used to this kinda thing, but you’ve gotta get at least one home run today. Alright?” His tone had dropped to what Ethan was used to. 

“I’ll do what I can, Pops.” Ethan promised. 

“I’m fuckin’ serious kid. A lot’s riding on this. If you fuck this up like you usually do, there will be hell to pay, ya’ hear me?” He glared at his son. Ethan just nodded silently, not trusting himself to reply. 

The rest of the drive was silent. Ethan could only sit and stress over what his dad had told him. He knew his dad liked to make bets with his friends, but he wouldn’t be dense enough to actually believe that Ethan could do it, right?

When Ethan stepped up to bat for the last time that game, he could see his dad in the bleachers. He was drinking with his friends. They were cheering, but he couldn’t hear them over the ringing in his ears. He had yet to make a home run, and this was his last shot. 

The guy threw the ball for the first time. Strike one. 

Strike two was the first blow his dad threw after the game. 

Strike three was the first punch to the face that had been dealt. There was a sickening crack to go along with the sudden gush of blood. 

Ethan woke up screaming. He couldn’t breathe and the room was too dark to tell what was going on. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks as he hyperventilated. 

Suddenly he could feel hands on him. He pushed them away and tried to get away from whoever was trying to touch him. 

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s me. It’s Lex. You’re okay.” Ethan heard Lex say. He opened his eyes to see his soulmate looking at him worriedly. 

He tried to apologize, but he still couldn’t breathe. He let Lex take his hand. 

“Breathe with me, okay?” 

The two of them sat in the room and Lex helped Ethan slow his breathing down. He couldn’t stop crying, but Lex assured him that it was okay. She just sat next to him and held him close. Ethan remembered when she had comforted him before and felt a sense of guilt. 

“’m sorry…” He mumbled. Lex just shushed him and ran her fingers through his hair. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about. It’s fine.” Lex assured him. Ethan recognized her voice as the one she used with Hannah when her little sister was having a meltdown. He understood why it worked. Soon he was able to calm down. 

“Thanks.” Ethan mumbled, slowly coming back to reality. Nervous energy was still flowing through his veins, but the heaviness of the nightmare and sleep deprivation was also weighing on him. He felt like a mess. 

There was a soft knocking on the door, and then Hannah opened the door slowly. She was holding a stuffed monkey dressed as a spider close to her. She looked at the two of them with her big brown eyes. 

“I heard screaming…” She mumbled. 

“That was me. I’m sorry if I scared you Hannah Banana.” Ethan said. He cursed himself inwardly, his voice sounded like shit. 

Hannah climbed onto the bed and in between Lex and Ethan. She looked up at Ethan, then quickly moved to hug him. She held on tight, and Ethan slowly moved to hug her back. It was the best hug that he had ever received. 

Greg was the next to join the group, jumping onto the bed and on Ethan’s lap. He curled up and fell asleep there. 

Hannah was the first to fall back asleep. The nine year old had already had a big day, and the excitement of everything wasn’t able to keep her awake for long. Ethan and Lex just smiled down at her, both silently communicating how much they loved her. She held onto Ethan’s arm as she slept. 

Lex fell asleep a few minutes after Hannah. She made sure that Ethan was doing okay, and he lied, saying that he was. She seemed to believe him and fell back asleep fairly quickly. Ethan stared at the ceiling, not wanting to disturb either of the girls next to him. 

He stayed like that for the rest of the night, just trying to avoid falling back asleep. He wasn’t ready for another nightmare, he didn’t know if he could take it. So he kept his eyes open and waited for sunrise. 

As soon as the sun was visible, Ethan snuck out of bed. He got a quick picture of Lex, Hannah, and Greg snuggling and went to make breakfast for the rest of the house. He decided to make eggs, bacon, and oatmeal for them, not wanting Hannah to have an unhealthy breakfast two days in a row. He also started a pot of coffee for him and Lex. 

Lex walked into the kitchen as he worked on the oatmeal, the bacon on a plate with paper towels to soak up the grease. She looked at him for a moment with narrowed eyes. 

“What’s all of this?” She asked, taking a piece of bacon. 

“I’m making breakfast.” He told her. 

“For how many people? There’s enough food in here to feed ten fucking people.” She leaned on the counter. 

“Yes. Or three people for a week. This way, all you have to do is stick this in the fridge and every morning Hannah can have a homemade breakfast without all of the work.” He winked. Lex rolled her eyes, but she didn’t disagree with his logic. 

The coffee pot let out a pleasant ‘ding!’ and Ethan poured two mugs of coffee. He added sugar and cream to Lex’s and took his dark. 

The two stayed in the kitchen, the only sound filling the room was Ethan’s soft singing. Lex smiled when she recognized the song. She hummed along. 

Just as he sat the two plates down on the table, Hannah walked in. She sat at her seat and started eating, and Lex did the same. Ethan sat down next to Lex after he put the rest of the food away, sipping his black coffee.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Hannah asked. 

“I ate while I made the food, Banana.” Ethan told her, not wanting the girl to worry. He didn’t need breakfast. She looked at him doubtfully, but she didn’t say anything else on the topic. 

As the girls ate breakfast, the room was silent. Ethan knew that he should attempt to talk about the night before, but he didn’t know what he would say. He wasn’t sure how to explain that he was fine, that these things just happened sometimes. 

When Hannah finished, she went back to her room to play with her imaginary friend Webby. Ethan didn’t get it, but he wasn’t one to get in the way of fun. It left just him and Lex at the table. 

“So. We should probably talk about last night, huh?” Ethan asked. 

“No shit. It’s not often you’re woken up by your soulmate screaming in his sleep.” Lex told him, taking a long drink of her coffee. Ethan laughed dryly. 

“I’m really sorry about that…” Ethan looked down at his coffee. 

“It’s not your fault. I guess I’m just worried about you and all of that shit. So… if you want to talk about it, I’m here.” Lex offered, taking his hand. It was comforting. 

“Um, I guess I should start with that day you came to my house.” Ethan started. Lex nodded, not wanting to interrupt him. 

“Well I had a nightmare the night before, so I was already in a… less than great mood. I had an anxiety attack that I didn’t really come down from, and I didn’t get much sleep. So I was going to take off work anyway. I needed to go shopping, so I decided that it was kind of a two birds with one stone kind of thing? I get a day off and I do my shopping for a month. 

So I go to the store and get all of my stuff. I’m still not feeling good, but I push on. When I sit down to wait for my uber, I didn’t have my truck fixed yet, my parents come up to me-” 

“I thought your parents died? When we were messaging, you told me that you had lost your parents.” Lex tilted her head. She didn’t seem angry or upset, just confused. 

“Well they kicked me out about half a year ago, telling me that I was too much of a burden to keep around any more or some shit like that.” Ethan admitted. 

“So when you saw them all of the memories of when you lived with them came back. Which is why you were so… off when I saw you.” Lex connected. 

“Yeah. It caused a really bad panic attack, so, um, yeah.” Ethan took a nervous drink from his mug. 

“And your nightmares have something to do with your parents?” Lex suggested. Ethan just nodded. Lex squeezed his hand. 

“I usually don’t scream, last night was just...weird.” Ethan promised. 

“That’s okay. We might think about soundproofing our room, so Hannah doesn’t wake up, but I’ll be there for you when they happen.” Lex promised. 

Ethan smiled at her and then at their interlocked fingers. “Since we’re talking about things… maybe we should talk about the whole soulmate thing.” He suggested. 

“I don’t know what there is to talk about it. Are you disappointed or something?” Lex asked, her tone defensive. 

“No!” Ethan all but yelled. “I mean, uh, no. I’m glad it’s you. You’re amazing and awesome, and I can totally see how we’re, uh, meant to be. I just mean that we should talk about our plans for the relationship. How do we want to do things?” Ethan asked. 

“I don’t think that anything should really change. I like you too. I don’t want the pressure of the universe on our backs, so I think that other than writing to each other when we can’t text or speak, we shouldn’t change anything else. I mean, we already live together.” Lex told him. 

Ethan nodded, agreeing. He wasn’t sure where he thought things may have gone wrong, just that things had gone better than he had expected. He finished his coffee and sat with Lex, both of them smiling at each other. 

Lex leaned over and kissed Ethan gently. He kissed her back. It was a soft kiss, tender. It was a true show of affection and care. They both pulled away after a moment. 

“What was that for?” Ethan asked, his cheeks tinted pink. 

“Just letting you know I care about you babe.” Lex smiled. She stood and put their dishes away, feeding Greg while in the kitchen. She kissed Ethan’s head as she walked back to the front room to watch tv. 

Ethan joined her, sitting next to her. He smiled as she cuddled into his side once he wrapped his arm around her. He still wasn’t wearing a shirt, but they were in the comfort of their own home. It was kind of nice, being able to have his shirt off and not worry about the softness of his stomach that his mom had always pointed out. It had been mostly gone for about a year, and Ethan did what he could to keep the weight off. 

He watched the screen and rested his head on Lex’s. The two of them sat comfortably as they watched old cartoons. It was the lowkey morning that Ethan desperately needed. The lack of sleep flooded into his bones, despite the coffee, and his body begged for him to sleep. He ignored the calling. 

The rest of the day went in a similar fashion. Ethan got up a few hours later to make Lex and Hannah lunch. He decided to just make some peanut butter and banana sandwiches for the girls. He had fun cutting the sandwiches into shapes. 

He sat the plates onto the table, and soon they were all sitting and eating. Hannah seemed to be having a good day, and Ethan agreed. With everything falling apart around him, it was nice to have a weekend where everything was calm. 

Ethan wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Working at Beanies wasn’t a long time thing, it was just so that he could pay rent and afford Greg’s vet bills. He would be willing to drop the job as soon as a better one approached. 

He tried to ignore the hope of opening another flower shop. It was something that was dangerous to think about, since it was a dream that would take a chunk of money and time. Money and time he didn’t have. The more that he thought about it, the more it hurt. 

He pushed the thought out of his head and asked Hannah what she had been doing all day. He distracted himself in the details of her game that he didn’t quite understand, and the weight on his chest lifted slightly. He had to admit, it was easier to ignore the pain when you could care for someone else, maybe that’s why Lex was so close with Hannah. 

He ate dinner with them that night. Creamy chicken and rice soup. He made enough to feed a village, and the three of them had yet another enjoyable meal. Hannah was easy to put down for bed with her stomach full, and Greg was there to watch over her. 

Lex and Ethan walked back to their room and sat on the bed. The air between them was light, both of them on the same page about a lot of things. Ethan still held things close to his chest that he wasn’t ready to share, but he could see that she was doing the same. 

With the newfound trust, it was easy to kiss her back when she kissed him. His hands found her waist and he moved back so that she could be more comfortable on the bed. It wasn’t the same as the night they had found out, less desperate, but it was still just as passionate. 

This time, they weren’t stopped when Ethan’s shirt came off. They continued slowly and lovingly. It was slow, it was comfortable, and it was amazing. 

When the two of them were finished, Ethan looked over at Lex. She tiredly smiled at him and gave him a quick peck before falling asleep. He did the same soon after, holding her close to him. That night, he didn’t have any nightmares. He just dreamt of the taste of Lex’s lips and the color of her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for communication! I have a few more plans for this, and I'm very excited! I hope this chapter was okay. I know that it wasn't exactly the most dramatic, but I felt like they deserved another lowkey time before we get into the thick of it. Kudos and comments are appreciated but not mandatory! Leave a comment on what you'd like to see more or less of! Have a nice day!


	7. Kooky Is a Fitting Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a really long day, Ethan is invited to dinner with his uncle Henry.

Ethan woke up before dawn, getting ready for work. Lex was still fast asleep. He moved the blanket to keep her warm before getting dressed. He grumbled to himself as he put on his apron. It had finally gotten warm enough that he was finally able to wear short sleeves. He couldn’t wait to see Nora’s reaction to all of the tattoos.

He was just far enough to have to drive to work, and it was too early to offer a ride to Lex or Hannah. He grabbed his keys and kissed Lex’s head before walking out. He passed the kitchen and for a moment, and he thought he wanted to get something to eat, but he brushed the thought off, telling himself he would just wait to eat until lunch. He didn’t need to eat yet, he wasn’t that hungry. 

The road was pretty empty as he drove to the small coffee shop. Which made sense, as it was too early for anyone in their right mind to be awake. It did help to soothe Ethan’s anxiety as he drove. He had crashed the truck once and it hadn’t worked for years. 

Once he arrived, he parked the truck and walked inside. Zoey was already there. She was sitting at a table on her phone talking to that cop she was sleeping with. They weren’t supposed to let customers in yet, but the cop had a gun and liked to wave it around at times. Fuck that guy. 

Ethan moved quickly to clean up before they opened, not bothering to ask Zoey for help. She was pretty much useless at her job anyways. Except when Nora was around. Then she got off of her ass and did her job. 

He brushed the thought away as he sat out the stale pastries that they told customers were baked dailey. At least the Hatchet Field citizens weren’t dumb enough to believe that. At least, most of them weren’t. He wasn’t so sure about some of them. 

Ethan turned on the sign saying they were open at six. At six thirty, the early morning customers came in. Just a few people who wanted to get in before the morning rush. Paul walked in. The nervous man seemed to come in occasionally to say hello to him. Ethan was pretty sure that was the only reason, because he always threw the small black coffee away on the way out. 

“Good morning Ethan.” Paul greeted, giving him a nervous smile. 

“What can I get you Paul?” Ethan asked, leaning over the counter. He studied Paul’s face for a moment. He didn’t get it, but it was nice to talk to someone he didn’t live with or hate. Paul ordered a black coffee. Ethan made it and gave it to him. 

As Paul left, Ethan looked at the six dollar tip for a three dollar coffee and stuffed it into his pocket. He didn’t want to split it with Zoey and her friends. Fuck them. 

The morning rush started at around eight. It wasn’t as bad as it could be, as most sane people just went to the Starbucks down the street, but this was when the most assholes came in. 

A guy put a quarter in the tip jar, and asked him about the sign. Nora was glaring at him, so he swallowed his pride and sang a stupid song about coffee. 

A girl tried to flirt with him, even though he tried to make it clear he wasn’t interested. She didn’t stop until he gave her the hardest drink to make on the menu. She left a crappy tip and he had to sing again. 

By the end of his shift, Ethan was ready to kill someone. Maybe Zoey, who was no help at all and just talked to her boyfriend all day. She didn’t even have to sing because of a bullshit excuse about being in a musical. He was too pissed off to eat lunch. 

The only thing that kept him from losing his mind was Lex. Even though he wasn’t supposed to have his phone, the two had been texting since Lex had woken up. If he wasn’t helping a customer, he was texting Lex. Nora snapped at him, but she didn’t use the threat of firing him this time, so it was a win in his book. 

He shook his head as he climbed into his truck, trying to get rid of any lingering negativity before he drove to the tattoo shop. He didn’t have much else to do, and he liked being around Lex every day. The thought that she was his soulmate still baffled him. 

This amazing woman who understood him more than anyone was connected to him by the universe. He had known her for all of his life, and she surpassed his expectations in every way. And, even more so, with Lex came Hannah. 

Ethan didn’t have any siblings, thank god, but when he was little he always wondered what it would be like to have a little sister. Someone he could connect with and be there for. Hannah was that. She laughed at all of his shitty jokes and was there when he needed her. She was just good. 

Ethan would do anything for them. 

He pulled himself out of his thoughts as he climbed out of the truck, the loud rock music audible from outside. Ethan straightened his posture as he walked in. Hannah was sitting down and drawing while Lex was working on a guy's tattoo. 

Ethan sat next to Hannah and looked over. “Hey Banana Split.” He smiled. Hannah didn’t reply, but she smiled. Ethan relaxed in the chair he was sitting on and rested his head on the wall behind him. His head hurt, but he had been too distracted to notice. Now he noticed. 

He meant to just rest his eyes for a moment, but with the loud music blocking out his thoughts, it was too easy to fall into an uneasy sleep. 

He woke up to Lex shaking him lightly. She had this fond little smile on, and the music had been turned down.The man was long gone, and it was just the three of them hanging out in the empty shop. Hannah had finished her drawing and was playing with some toys. 

“I don’t mean to wake the sleeping beauty, but your phone has been ringing for, like, the past hour.” Lex told him. Ethan nodded and stood, stretching until his back popped. He picked up his phone and saw the caller ID. Uncle Henry. Ethan answered the phone. 

“Nephew! Thank goodness! I’ve been calling for over an hour!” His uncle yelled into the phone. 

“Hey Henry. What’s up?” Ethan asked, sitting back down. 

“Well, I was wondering if you’d like to come for a short little visit this evening. I’ll make us dinner and you could bring over a few...items.”

“You didn’t want to get groceries and you’re asking me to do it.” Ethan clarified. The silence was more than enough to answer his question. “Sure. Transfer the money to my account and I’ll bring Lex and Hannah by if they’re up for it.” 

“Of course. And, if you don’t mind me asking, who are Lex and Hannah?” Henry asked. In the background, Ethan heard clinking and clattering. Henry was in his lab as he talked on the phone.

“Lex is my girlfriend, and Hannah is her sister.” Ethan told him. 

“Wonderful then! I’ll see you three tonight then!” Henry sounded excited, so Ethan agreed before he hung up. When he looked up, both Hannah and Lex were staring at him. 

“How would the two of you like to meet my uncle?” Ethan asked. 

“We’d love to!” Lex smiled. Hannah nodded. It was settled then. They were going to have dinner with the only adult that Ethan trusted. Ethan just hoped it went well. 

Both Hannah and Lex were confused when they stopped at the grocery store, but Ethan wasn’t in the mood to answer their questions. They both seemed to understand and didn’t push it as he put milk into the cart. He would tell Lex later. 

After he had a month's load of groceries in his truck, he drove Hannah and Lex to the… weirdest part of Hatchet Field. Hannah was staring at the bunker-like building as Ethan pulled up to the gate, punching in a code. 

“So is your uncle a doomsday freak or something?” Lex asked. Ethan smiled at her bluntness. 

“Kind of. Ever since he got struck by lightning that fifth time, he’s been a little…” Batshit crazy was not the words he was going to use in front of Hannah. He was fine cussing in front of her, but he didn’t want Lex to worry about Hannah’s safety. Henry was harmless. “Kooky.” was the word he decided on. Lex nodded and Hannah giggled. 

Both of their eyes widened when they heard the “struck by lightning” part. That was a story for another day. 

They all carried a few bags as they walked up to the door. Ethan was the one to knock, and he was the only one who didn’t jump as there was a bang when Henry aggressively looked through the peephole. 

“Who’s there?!” His uncle demanded. 

“It’s Ethan. We’re here for dinner.” He said. He kept his voice calm, he was used to this by now. The door opened and Ethan looked at Henry as he welcomed them with open arms. 

“Ethan my boy! It’s been far too long!” Henry cheered, hugging his nephew before he could protest. He greeted Hannah and Lex, then guided them inside. Henry told the Alexa to close the door, which she did. Ethan really never understood that relationship, and if he was honest? He didn’t want to. 

“Now! You three sit while I go and put these away. I’ll have dinner ready in no time!” Henry assured them before running off with all of the bags. Ethan didn’t know how the man was so strong and quick at fifty years old, but he didn’t question it. 

He sat down on the couch that he used to sleep on when his parents had kicked him out and looked at Lex and Hannah, who were staring at him again.

“So...he’s something.” Lex stated, moving to sit next to Ethan. It was nice, having her so close. 

“He’s like a cartoon! A mad scientist!” Hannah supplied, and that made Ethan chuckle. That was a good description of his uncle. One he’d have to use later on. 

“He’s a lot, but he’s harmless. The worst he’ll do is show you the opening number to the musical he’s been writing for twenty years.” Ethan assured them, wrapping his arm around Lex. He smiled when she rested her head on his shoulder. 

“So, he’s your closest family member?” Lex asked, looking up at him. 

“Yeah. When my parents were being...not great, I’d come here. Henry would never ask questions, just set up the front room with blankets and make me french toast.” Ethan told them. It was most of the truth, and Ethan wasn’t exactly ready to explain the months he lived on the couch. Not yet. 

Lex nodded, seemingly understanding. Ethan was glad, he wasn’t sure how to otherwise explain everything. He was happy he rarely seemed to have to. Lex just...understood. 

The three sat in the front room in relative silence. Lex and Ethan were content to just be together, and Hannah was playing with two of her stuffed animals. There were unasked questions in the air, but they all chose to ignore them for the time being. 

It was about forty five minutes later that Henry walked back into the room, now wearing an apron. “I have finished dinner!” He announced to the three kids. Ethan stood up with a slight smile and led the others to the table, which was already set with plates. 

Henry sat at his usual spot and Ethan took the seat next to him. Hannah and Lex sat down across from the two of them, and they sat, looking at each other. There was a slight tense feeling in the air, no one knew what to say. 

Henry then did what he did best, and quelled the tension in the air. He started talking about some of the students in his biology class, raving about some of his students. He talked about one girl in particular, and how she had brought him groceries once. 

Hannah and Lex’s attention was on Henry, so they didn’t notice that Ethan was really only picking at his food. When they finished, Ethan offered to take the plates. He walked into the kitchen and cleaned the plates off before setting them in the sink. He leaned against the counter to take a breath. 

Ethan jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked at his uncle, who looked more serious than he had during the entire evening. Henry then moved to stand beside Ethan. 

“They’re lovely.” Henry told him, awkwardly patting his nephew on the back. Ethan nodded, sensing that telling him that wasn’t the reason that his uncle had come in to talk to him. “You’ve lost weight.” Henry said. There it was. 

“I have.” Ethan replied. The room was quiet for a moment. The two of them knew what was coming next. 

“You need to eat.” Henry told him seriously. 

“I will. I’ve just been… busy.” Ethan lied. Henry just sighed and looked at Ethan. 

“I know I’m not your parent, and that I have no real authority over what you do. But, I also know how hard it was last time this happened. I don’t want you to have to go back to the hospital.” Henry looked down. 

“It’s not-” Ethan cut himself off. “If it gets that bad again, I’ll let you know. I won’t let it get that far this time.” He promised. Henry looked a little better. 

“Alright Nephew, that’s enough of that for today.” He patted Ethan’s shoulder and filled a container with food for Ethan to take home. “This is for you to eat when you get home, alright?” He smiled. Ethan smiled back as he took the container. 

The two left the kitchen to see Lex getting ready to go. Hannah had a sticker for Henry’s musical, and Lex was humming something. Of course he had found time to talk about ‘Workin’ Boys’. Why wouldn’t he? Ethan smiled fondly to himself as he hugged his uncle goodbye. 

Lex sat in the driver's seat, and Hannah climbed into the back of his truck. Ethan didn’t argue as he climbed into the passenger’s side and put on his seatbelt, holding the container of food in his lap. Lex looked over at him with a fond smile. He handed her the keys. 

“Well that was nice.” She told him, and he nodded. Lex continued, “By the way you’ve talked about him...honestly I didn’t know what to expect. But, he was cool. I’m glad we got to meet him.”

“Me too.” Ethan spoke up quietly. His energy had been significantly drained from the day he had gone through. He didn’t know if he had it in him for anymore real conversations. 

The drive home was quiet and smooth. Hannah fell asleep, holding her stuffed monkey close, and Ethan was close to joining her when they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex. Instead, he got out and went to the backseat. Careful not to wake her, he picked her up and carried her up to the apartment. Lex grabbed the food. 

Once Hannah was tucked in, Ethan walked back out to see Lex waiting at the table, the container empty and the food on the plate. 

“Your uncle told me to make sure you eat this.” She smiled, sitting down in the chair next to his. Ethan had no room to argue. 

He sat down and ate the salmon dinner. It wasn’t bad, if you ignored the burnt parts. And raw veggies. Damn, Henry really wasn’t great at cooking. 

That didn’t stop Ethan from eating all of it. Once his plate was clean and back in the cabinet, he and Lex walked back to their room. Once they were on the bed, almost ready to go to sleep, Lex kissed Ethan softly. 

“I really care about you.” Ethan told her. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

“I really care about you too.” Lex assured him, glad to see he was more relaxed than he had been all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this one's a little shorter than the other chapters. I'm also sorry I took so long to get this out, I just needed a little bit of a break from everything, but I'm back! I'm hoping to go back to a chapter coming out once a week. Comments and Kudos are appreciated beyond imagination, and I hope you have a lovely day!


	8. Ethan Gets a Job He Doesn't Hate!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan goes job hunting, while Lex seems to know something.

Ethan was proud to say he was doing well. He and Lex were getting closer, Hannah was like his own little sister, and he was looking for a real job. That wasn’t to say everything was perfect, but nothing was ever really perfect in his life. That’s just how things were. 

That’s what he told himself as he looked in the mirror. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing a button up shirt he had gotten three years prior. A day full of job interviews wasn’t going to be fun, and he knew it. Still, anything would be better than having to sing for assholes every day. He couldn’t stand to work at Beanies for much longer. He’d rather not have a job than sing to assholes and clueless morons for another month. 

It had been nice to sleep in, though. He even got to make Lex and Hannah breakfast. They had been eating as he got ready. Before he was able to walk out of the house though, Lex grabbed his arm and dragged him to the table, sitting him down in front of a plate. 

“Big day ahead of you, and we don’t want you starving.” Lex told him, kissing his head before going to get ready. There was more weight to her words than she was letting on, but Ethan decided not to question it. She wouldn’t know about...everything that had happened before he moved. She couldn’t. 

Ethan just nodded as he sat down, smiling over at Hannah. She was mumbling something to herself, but she seemed to be alright. Ethan was tempted to ask about ‘Webby’ and such, but he wasn’t sure that he would understand the answer she gave him. Maybe it’d be best to just go along with it. 

Ethan ate most of the food on his plate. It was an easy breakfast to get down. Eggs, toast, sausage, and orange juice. Once he was full, he cleaned up his plate. While he felt a little sick, the food did give him a little more energy. 

The first interview he had was at Starbucks. It was a higher wage and he wouldn’t have to sing. If he got this job, he would be happy. 

As the interview dragged on, Ethan found it harder to maintain a smile. It was hard to say how much he loved coffee and people in more than three different ways, but he was trying. That had to mean something, right? 

He shook the man’s hand before he left, taking the encouraging smile with a dash of hope. Ethan hoped that the smile meant that he had a chance of getting the job. 

As the day went on, Ethan learned a few things. While he did have his GED, he still had only three previous jobs and lived outside of Hatchet Field. He wasn’t really going to be any companies first choice. 

It was then that he drove by an auto shop. It was a little run down, and it was in a terrible neighborhood, but clear as day in the window was a ‘Now Hiring’ sign. Something in his mind screamed at him to stop and try to get an interview. 

Ethan knew cars, his dad had made sure of it. He had kept his truck running for longer than he should have been able to. It was one of the only things he was thankful his dad had made him pursue. While, yes, the truck did end up dying after a fender bender, he had experience. As he walked in, he noted the guy standing behind the counter. 

The gruff looking man looked back at him, silently asking him what he wanted. Ethan took a deep breath, and took a step forward. “I saw your help wanted sign, and I was wondering if I could get an application or interview… please.” The last word sounded a little more desperate than Ethan had intended, and he reminded himself to pull back a little. 

The man stared at him for a moment, looking him over. “We need someone to look over finances and answer phone calls. Do you think you could do that?” He asked, staring at Ethan as if he didn’t think that he could do it. The man looked a little surprised when Ethan lit up. 

Ethan nodded with a smile, excitement and hope bubbling up in his chest. This was everything he wanted! To go back to doing something meaningful. Something that would actually require skill, not making coffee every day for maybe a quarter in tips to take home. “I do. I do think that I could do that! I used to run my own small business, and it was open for more than a year.” He smiled. 

“Well if you’re so good at running a business on your own, why the hell do you need this job?” The man asked, his thick eyebrows rising. Ethan pushed away the pain that came with the question. He still wasn’t really over what had happened, he wasn’t sure that he would ever be. 

“Someone robbed and burned my shop down.” Ethan replied, not wanting to go into further detail. He forced himself to keep eye contact. The man stared at him, his eyes reaching deep into his soul. He was quiet and thoughtful. 

“Come in on Monday.” He told Ethan, and Ethan swore that his heart exploded, he couldn’t keep a bight and silly grin off of his face. The man just nodded, telling him to get out of the shop until it was time for him to start work. 

Ethan drove to the tattoo parlor, only breaking a few traffic laws to get there as quickly as possible. It was getting close to sunset by the time Ethan arrived. He looked into the parlor. It was just Lex, sitting on her own. Her boots were propped up on her desk and she was reading a magazine. She looked up with a slight smile as Ethan walked in. 

“How’d the job search go?” She asked, smiling slightly. Her voice was higher and more excited, the question confidant due to the look on Ethan’s face. 

“I’m starting at ‘The Carbon Hood’ auto shop on Monday!” Ethan told her, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. He was slightly bouncing on his feet, and he couldn’t keep still. 

“That’s fucking amazing Ethan!” Lex said, taking her feet off of her desk to stand and hug Ethan. She pulled away slightly and stood on her toes to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She smiled when his arms wrapped around her waist. 

When they pulled away, they didn’t pull apart. Their foreheads rested against eachother’s, and they stood, looking into the other’s eyes. Ethan wanted to memorize the patterns and stars in her brown eyes. The door jingled and the two pulled away rather quickly, looking to see who was there. It was Emma. 

“Do you take walk-ins?” She asked, walking over to the desk. When she noticed Ethan she nodded and gave a little wave. Ethan waved back and went to sit in a chair meant for those waiting. 

“We do.” Lex smiled, talking to her. “What were you thinking?” She asked Emma. 

“Well Paul, my soulmate, got me flowers when he asked me out. So I was thinking I could get a tattoo of the banquet, and then I’ll ask him if he wants to move in with me.” Emma explained. Lex nodded, already thinking of ideas. 

“Well we have plenty of flower designs, or if you have an idea for something original we could start talking about that.” Lex suggested. 

“I think I’ll just go with something that you have. I mean, I’ve seen your work. I’m sure Paul will love whatever I get.” Emma told her. Lex nodded, lighting up at the praise. 

As Emma skimmed through the flower designs, Ethan looked over her shoulder. He hadn’t seen everything that Lex had drawn, and he had to admit, she was talented. He already knew based on the tattoos littering his soulmates skin, but the flowers on the pages were so beautiful. 

Emma chose a picture of a chrysanthemum bouquet, tied together by a string. It was simple and full of shadows, making it a bit less adorable than some of the other pictures. She told Lex, and soon she was wincing as she got the tattoo. 

Ethan kept the book, looking through all of the flowers. He couldn’t help but miss his shop. The place next door was going up for sale, and he didn’t have nearly enough to buy it again. He still thought about what he would do if he could open a new flower shop. 

He would work with Lex more, she could help him arrange bouquets and he would decorate her shop. Hell, he would surprise her with flowers more often. And he could teach Hannah about all of the different meanings of flowers. 

He thought about all of the customers that came through before that day. He wondered about the red headed woman and her wedding. He hoped that she would be able to get someone good for her wedding, she seemed too nice to be scammed. Hell, he was planning on undercharging her. 

It had been nice to have something he had worked for and loved. A flower shop seemed like a weird fit, but it was his. He loved absorbing information, and putting that information to use. The smiles on peoples faces when he showed them the bouquets he had made for them. 

Ethan snapped himself out of it. It was useless to think about the old flower shop, since he had lost it. If he had just remembered to lock the door he would still have his shop. But he didn’t, and there wasn’t anything he could do to get it back anytime soon. 

When he looked back up, Lex was finishing Emma’s tattoo. Emma smiled as she paid the seventy five dollars for the ink. She left, leaving Ethan and Lex alone once again. When it was time for Lex to close, the sun was down, and the city lights were the only things keeping the streets lit. 

Ethan sat by as Lex locked up. “Is Hannah with Grace?” he asked, looking over as Lex let her hair down. She just nodded, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “Do you think that we could go out to eat?” He asked. 

Lex thought a moment before replying, “I don’t see why not. A few places are still open, right?” She smiled. Ethan nodded, taking her hand. The two walked down the street, chatting lightly about their day. Lex was stressed, and Ethan understood. Hannah was still having trouble in school. Teachers and other students refused to listen or pay attention to her. Even in Clivesdale things weren’t perfect. 

Ethan couldn’t think of a permanent solution, no matter how hard he tried. He would be there for Hannah, and he’d beat the shit out of anyone that’d want to hurt her, but there wasn’t much he could do to stop the kids at school. Lex seemed to be in the same mindset. 

“I just wish I could understand what she was going through. She’s just a kid.” Lex sighed. Ethan nodded, squeezing her hand. 

“We’ll figure it out.” Ethan promised. Lex nodded, but she still seemed distracted. Ethan wasn’t sure of how to make her feel better, but he hoped that they could figure something out together. He would do anything to keep Hannah safe. 

They walked to a small hole in the wall Italian restaurant, Ethan opening the door for Lex. It reminded him of the first time they had talked. 

They sat down at a booth, looking at a paper menu. Everything was pretty affordable, and most of it was pretty standard. When the waitress came with bread, Lex also ordered cheese sticks for the two of them to share. 

“So, now that I’ve met your uncle, would you want to meet my dad sometime?” Lex asked, picking apart some bread and taking a bite. 

“I mean, I’ve lived with you for a few months. I think that it’d be cool if I got to meet your family.” Ethan smiled. 

“He’s going to love you. He’s kind of..bad at first impressions though.” Lex looked down. Ethan nodded, smiling. 

“I think that I’ll be okay. I’m fucking charming when I want to be.” He promised. Lex rolled her eyes. 

When the waitress brought the cheese sticks, Lex dug in. Ethan took one once Lex pushed the basket over to him. The back of his mind screamed, asking why she was so persistent with him eating lately. Henry had probably said something, but Ethan wondered what details Lex now had. 

He swallowed the lump in his throat, and kept his mouth shut about the subject. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to tell Lex everything about what had happened before they met. It was a long and hard story, and it was one they both had to be ready for. 

They ordered, Ethan getting himself a small personal pineapple pizza. It was his favorite kind, and he would stand by that fact. Even if Lex stuck her tongue out when he ordered. 

As they waited, they kept the conversation light and sweet. It was nice to spend time with Lex. She seemed to have relaxed a bit since closing. As they ate their food, Ethan kept holding her hand. It was like at all times he wanted to be connected to her. It must’ve been a soulmates thing. 

When they finished, they split the bill. They stayed close as they walked back to the tattoo parlor, where Ethan’s truck was parked. Lex looked tired, resting her head on Ethan’s shoulder as the two of them walked. He wrapped his arm around her. 

He opened her door for her, and then got into the truck himself. He turned the key and drove to the small apartment. Lex was asleep by the time they had arrived, and Ethan smiled, taking a quick photo of her sleeping. 

He then shook her shoulder and smiled as she woke up. The two of them walked up to the door, and walked in. They were met with the sight of Grace on the couch. Hannah’s toys were picked up, and there were a few more dishes in the sink than usual. 

Lex walked over and talked to Grace while Ethan moved and sat on the couch. He smiled as he looked up, an image of his future appearing in his head when Lex sat next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. He could see himself like this forever. He wished that he could just stay in that moment forever. 

Adding to the moment, Greg emerged from Hannah’s room and climbed onto Ethan’s lap. Lex was asleep by now, and Ethan accepted his fate of sleeping on the couch.

He rested his head on Lex’s and stroked Greg’s back, the ugly cat purring loudly. Ethan took a calming breath, relaxed his shoulders, and unclenched his jaw. With a clear head, he closed his eyes and slowly fell into an uneasy sleep. 

And, as they always did at the oddest times, a memory came back to him. 

The first time he had passed out from hunger, he was at school. It was the year before he dropped out, so he was about seventeen. He and his friends, if you could call them that, were outside smoking. They walked back into the school when the bell rang, and Ethan started to climb the stairs. 

On the third flight, he was running out of breath. It had been a few days since he had last eaten. His parents hadn’t been in the mood to go to the store, or to give him any food, and his lunch account was in the negatives. 

He cursed as he started the walk across the hall to his class. Mr. Huston was going to kill him for being late. Ethan kept walking, even though he felt a little dizzy. The world around him was coming in and out of focus. 

When he finally made it to the door, it was pretty much the only thing he could see clearly. He reached over and turned the handle, and it took a lot more energy than usual. When he opened the door, all he could see was black. 

“Ethan son, are you alright?” He heard Mr.Huston ask him. 

“Fine just...can’t see.” Ethan mumbled. He was sure Mr.Huston said something back, but he wasn’t sure what. He couldn’t see or hear anything, everything was just black. 

When he opened his eyes, Mr.Huston and a few other students were standing around him. Ethan noticed that all of them were standing above him, which meant he was on the floor. Last time he had been in this situation, it hadn’t ended well, so he sat up as quickly as he could. He regretted that action, because his head started spinning and he was dizzy again. 

“Woah woah woah, slow down.” Mr.Huston said in a calming voice, crouching down to his level. His teacher looked up and shooed the other students away, then turning his attention onto Ethan. He carefully helped Ethan stand up and lead him out into the hallway, where he sat him down in the chair outside of the door.

Ethan could have said a lot of things to make the situation better, and he knew this. Apparently, “Sorry I was late.” was not one of those things, as Mr.Huston just shook his head. 

“It’s uh- it’s no problem. Are you feeling okay?” he asked, his voice filled with concern. Ethan wasn’t really sure of how to answer, so he just nodded. That was enough to make his teacher continue. “I’m going to go and get you some water, I’ll be right back.” 

Ethan sat, still a little dazed as his teacher walked off. He slowly started to put things together and sighed, slumping his shoulders. Huston was probably going to call his parents, which meant at best he would be sleeping outside and at worst… well he didn’t want to think about that. 

But, Mr.Huston came back too quickly to have talked to either of his parents. He just came back with a bottle of chilled water from one of the vending machines, along with a small bag of trail mix. He handed Ethan the two things. 

“So, do you think we should call your parents or do you think you can make it to the end of the day?” He asked, and Ethan let out a breath in relief. 

“I think I’ll be okay sir. Thank you.” He tried to put as much weight behind the words as he could, but he wasn’t sure if it came through. 

Mr.Huston just nodded, ruffled his hair, then walked back into his classroom. Ethan opened the bottle of water and took a long drink, then ate the small bag of trail mix. The constant fog hanging over his head lifted largely when he finished both. 

When he walked back in, Mr.Huston continued shop as normal. While he didn’t let Ethan anywhere near the power saw, that was pretty par for the course. He shouldn’t be allowed near a power saw ever, especially if he was completely in his right mind. 

As the final bell rang, Ethan stood up quickly and started to rush out of the room when an arm grabbed his shoulder. He turned around, ready to throw a punch, when he was confronted with Mr.Huston. He relaxed and stepped back. “Yeah, teach?” He gave his signature side smile. 

Mr.Huston grabbed something from behind his desk. It was a bag, which had a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a juice box. “My wife Jane, she packed me lunch today, but I forgot and grabbed something for the cafeteria. Do you think you could take it off my hands?” He asked. 

Ethan nodded, taking the brown paper bag from his teacher. He stuttered a thank you, then rushed out. Mr.Huston ‘forgot’ about his packed lunch a lot more after that, not that Ethan minded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for good teaching! I'm really happy with how this chapter turned out, and I'm super excited for what I have planned! I think it's high time for Ethan to have some good adult figures in his life, don't you? Comments/Kudos are appreciated but not mandatory, and have a lovely day!!!


	9. That Awkward Moment Where Your Old Shop Teacher Is Also Your Soulmate’s Adoptive Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan meets Lex's parents!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got to a thousand hits!!! Thank you!!!

Ethan let out a breath as he looked into the mirror. He was nervous, to say the least. He was meeting Lex’s parents. This meant that he had to make a good first impression, or else everything could go to hell. If they didn’t like him, they would tell Lex. If Lex knew that they didn’t like him, then she wouldn’t want to be with him anymore. If Lex broke up with him, he’d have nothing. 

Ethan was spiraling as he got ready. His head was spinning, and his mind wouldn’t shut up about everything that could go wrong. He didn’t even notice that he was biting his lip until he tasted blood. He put his finger up to his lip and looked down at the red. He needed to calm down. Having a panic attack wouldn’t help anything. 

He sat down on the bed, Lex was in the other room, helping Hannah get ready. So, Ethan had a moment alone to collect his thoughts. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He just needed to seem likeable. He could do that. Probably. 

As he took a few more breaths, he calmed down a little bit. It got easier to breathe, and his mind got a little more clear. He was still nervous, but Ethan knew that there was no way to get rid of that deep fear gnawing a hole in the pit of his stomach. 

He stood back up and put on the old battered blazer he had gotten from...somewhere. It was the closest thing to formal wear he owned, and he had it only because Henry had made him get something nice for prom all of those years ago. 

He walked back into the bathroom and his shoulders slumped when he saw himself in the mirror. He looked like a high school freshman. With the slightly small blazer matched with skinny jeans and a mess of curls on his head, he looked too young. Too immature to be going out with Lex. Not the right fit to be a soulmate. Maybe he wasn’t. 

He traced the tattoos on his arm over the sleeves and took another deep breath. He and Lex were made for each other. Two halves of a whole, perfect in every way. Ethan knew that, he did. The universe said so. He just wished that he could believe it. 

He startled slightly when Lex wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin onto his shoulder. Even with the mirror he hadn’t seen her come in. She was too small. Too sneaky. 

“What are you thinking about?” She asked, turning him around so that he would stop staring at himself. His focus shifted to be completely on her. Just being with her made him a little more relaxed. 

“Oh, you know. Just a little nervous.” Ethan admitted, walking back with her to the room. He sat on the bed while she started to get dressed. 

“Well, you have nothing to worry about. I told my dad all about you. He’s going to love you. I know it.” Lex stated, as she pulled a dress on. It was similar to the one she had on during their first date, but this one had short sleeves. Her tattoos were visible this time. 

Lex walked back to the bed and sat next to Ethan, wrapping her arm around him. “And it’ll be great, no matter what. We’re going to that restaurant Emma works at, Paul will be there.” She assured. Paul had been...oddly consistent in Ethan’s life since he left the coffee shop. Showing up every once in a while to make sure that Ethan was alright. They weren’t exactly friends yet, but they weren’t strangers. It was good to know that he would be there if Ethan ever needed him. 

“I guess it won’t be that bad…” Ethan relented, smiling as Lex kissed him. He took a hold of her hand and basked in the comfort she brought. Even if she was too amazing for someone like him, he was damn glad that she was a part of his life. 

Lex interlocked their fingers as she pulled away. “We need to leave soon if we want to get there on time.” She told Ethan. With a glance to the clock, ‘on time’ meant fifteen minutes late. That didn’t help with his stress. 

He stood up, staying beside her as they walked out. Hannah held his hand when she saw him, looking at him comfortingly. Ethan felt fondness bloom in his chest. He loved Hannah, she was already more of a family to him than anyone in his actual family has ever been. Ethan understood why Lex loved her so much. He did too. 

He was the one who drove them to the restaurant. Lex still didn’t have her license, so it was up to him if they wanted to live. Though, with his anxiety, it was a close call. He felt like his entire body was shaking, and it was hard to breathe. He was a distracted driver, to say the least. 

When they pulled into the place, Ethan could see a few familiar faces through the window. Emma was waiting on tables, Paul was reading a book sitting in the corner, and Mr. Huston was there as well. Ethan hadn’t seen the man since he had stopped by to buy flowers for the woman currently sitting next to him. He hoped that their wedding would have someone else to provide the flowers. 

The small mexican restaurant was packed, so Ethan looked around. He couldn’t really tell who Lex’s parents were. She and Hannah were adopted, so he couldn’t exactly look for family resemblance. All he could do was let Lex and her sister lead him in, both of them seeming considerably more comfortable than he had ever been when seeing his parents. 

He wasn’t exactly sure of what to do or how to feel when Lex and Hannah sat down at Mr. Huston’s table. He was kind of just, frozen in the moment. The only thing that kept him from bolting at that moment was the fact that Lex was his soulmate. He hated to admit it, but if she was just a girlfriend he would probably turn around and leave. He couldn’t do that though, because this was important. 

Ethan forced himself to walk over to the table, pulling out his chair. It screeched as it slid against the floor, and it did so again when he moved forward. He hated this more than anything he had ever hated in the world. 

He looked up to be faced with his favorite teacher staring at him. Ethan wanted to die. He really did. He wished that a black hole would appear and pull him into oblivion, so that he would never have to talk to his old teacher/Lex’s amazing dad. He waited for a moment, giving the universe time to do so, before he accepted that there was nothing to stop this dinner from happening. Great. 

“Hi!” The woman next to Mr. Huston spoke up. “I’m Becky! We’ve met before, but I never got your name.” With her words, a majority of tension deflated. The attention was on her, who was the only person Ethan didn’t know at the table. 

“Oh yeah,” He pretended to not remember that day exactly, “I’m Ethan. It’s nice to officially meet you… ma’am.” He awkwardly shook her hand. Mr. Huston was still staring at him. 

“Come on dad, say hi. You look like you did when you met my mom.” Lex muttered to her dad, hoping that Ethan wouldn’t catch what she had said. He had. Fuck. 

“Um, hello Ethan.” Mr. Huston said, looking as uncomfortable as Ethan felt. He was just staring. “You’re...looking well.” Ethan knew that his teacher was better at calming tension than he seemed to be at the moment, but it had been two years. 

“Thank you. You are as well...sir.” Ethan nodded. Lex was staring at the both of them, not yet knowing their connection. 

“You two know each other?” Hannah asked, looking between the two of them. Mr. Huston calmed down considerably when talking to Hannah, confirming to Ethan that he was the sole cause of all of the tension at the table. Like he didn’t hate himself enough already. 

“Yeah. Ethan was my top student when I was still teaching at the high school.” He explained to the nine year old. Hannah nodded. 

“I thought I was your top student!” Lex protested, a smile firmly on her face as she took Ethan’s hand under the table. 

“You were my favorite, but I couldn’t let you near half of the tools because you kept threatening to cut Julie Woods’s arm off.” Mr. Huston smiled. Ethan laughed at that. 

“It’s, um, nice seeing you again sir.” Ethan muttered. He knew that it was rude to mumble, but he was sure that if he spoke up any more his voice would shake. He didn’t need that. It would bring back the tension that had almost disappeared by now. 

“You too son. So, you’re Lexie’s soulmate?” He asked, looking over Ethan. Before he could say something, Lex spoke up for him. 

“Dad. Don’t call me Lexie in front of him!” She laughed. Ethan was glad she was comfortable. She was still holding his hand, and he squeezed her hand in thanks. 

Mr. Huston just rolled his eyes fondly, and Emma came over to take their drink orders. Ethan wished that he had his fake ID on him to order something alcoholic, but even if he did- Mr. Huston knew how old he was. He was going to have to face this completely fucking sober. Great. 

“I’ll just get a water.” Ethan smiled awkwardly at her. Emma walked off after she had their orders, and Ethan kept his shoulders tense. His mother had yelled at him enough for slouching at events that it was ingrained into his mind. It was just too bad that he looked ready to bolt at any moment. 

“So, what have you been up to since your flower shop closed?” Mr. Huston asked. The reminder of all of his hopes and dreams being destroyed didn’t help the anxiety and tension building in Ethan’s chest. 

“Oh, you know, not much. I just got a job at this auto shop not too far off. Things are going pretty well. I like working with numbers, and well now I get to do that all day. And it’s actually pretty close to this takeout place all of us like, which is really cool too for the nights when I don’t want to cook.” Ethan rambled. He wasn’t sure why he was talking so much, he was just glad that he had refrained from cussing. 

Becky was the first to reply to his unreasonably long answer. She smiled and nodded, looking actually interested in what Ethan was saying. “Well that sounds really nice. I was so sad to see that you had closed. If you were to ever reopen, Tom and I would love to have your help with the wedding. Heck, we’d hire you to just help us choose what flowers to use.” She laughed. 

“Oh, um, thank you, but I don’t think I’m going to be reopening anytime soon. It took a lot to open the first store, and I had gotten really lucky then. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.” He forced a laugh. It hurt to say that outloud, but it was true. He just needed to accept that. 

“So, you and Lex are soulmates?” Mr. Huston asked, now seeming pretty relaxed compared to how he had been before. “How did you find that out?” He asked. 

“Well, um, it was on our first date actually.” Lex looked at Ethan nervously. “When she took her jacket off I saw her arms. We both felt kind of dumb after that. We’d been talking and flirting for weeks before we figured it out.” Ethan smiled. 

“It was worth the wait though. It’s how I knew that he was really right for me.” Lex smiled. Ethan squeezed her hand and smiled at her. 

“So, um, are you two soulmates?” Ethan asked. He was a little nervous asking, since there was no sign that they were. 

“Um, no.” Becky said. “I, uh, don’t have a soulmate, and Tom’s passed away a few years ago.” She explained. 

“I'm sorry!” Ethan hurried, feeling like shit. No one seemed offended, but it wasn’t an amazing thing to point out. 

“It’s alright son, there was no way you could’ve known.” Mr. Huston assured him. That helped Ethan out a little bit.

Ethan nodded, and Emma walked back to take their orders. He got the cheapest thing on the menu, not really planning on eating all of it. He could live with skipping dinner anyways, having eaten breakfast and lunch already. 

The conversation went along alright, the awkwardness being soothed with the help of Becky and Hannah. The two of them seemed to be the best with people out of everyone at the table. Hannah spoke of adventures with her imaginary spider friend, and Becky was able to keep up with everything she was saying. Ethan wasn’t sure if he would ever keep up with Hannah’s imagination. 

When their food came, Ethan was pleasantly surprised to see that he had ordered fish tacos. They were small and didn’t look like they’d give him food poisoning. Lex had been pushing him to eat more, so he was glad to see that he could probably eat most of the food that he had ordered. 

Everyone talked a bit less after they got their food, which Ethan was thankful for. They had a bit of smalltalk, but it was more to fill the silence than anything. Ethan could do small talk...kind of. It was a lot easier to stomach. 

Hannah begged for dessert, and it seemed that everyone at the table shared a weakness- Hannah’s puppy dog eyes. It was a bit of a shock when Lex ordered a dessert for her and Ethan to share, but he was in a good mood. He decided not to look too deeply into it. 

Even though Lex and Ethan tried to talk him out of it, Mr. Huston paid for everything. He smiled, ruffling Lex’s hair. “We were the ones who wanted to have this dinner. It’s only fair that we pay for it.” He smiled. Lex just sighed and shook her head, fixing her hair. 

As the others went to the car, Mr. Huston grabbed Ethan’s shoulder. It wasn’t rough, but it was enough to cause Ethan to tense up. “Hey, you guys go on ahead. I need to have the ‘dad talk’ with Ethan here.” Mr. Huston told the girls. Becky nodded, talking to Hannah as the two of them walked out. 

“Um, dad, are you sure-” Lex started, but Mr. Huston smiled. 

“Don’t worry sweetheart. I’ve got this.” He was so reassuring that Ethan almost believed it. Ethan understood why Lex left, but he was still scared shitless. 

Last time the two of them had been alone, Mr. Huston had been cool. He had made sure that Ethan was okay and was just there for him, like the good teacher that he was. But, this time Ethan wasn’t a student. He was the soulmate of Mr. Huston’s daughter, who he knew used to get into fights and skip class. Not at all good enough for Lex. 

“So, I haven’t really talked to you since you dropped out.” Mr. Huston started, and Ethan got more scared every second that passed. Mr. Huston continued, “I was really worried about you. I’m glad to see that you’re doing okay.”

That wasn’t what Ethan had expected. Not even close. He had thought of a million different directions that the conversation could have gone, and a million different replies. He had nothing for this. “I- um. Thank you sir. You too.” He nodded. 

Mr. Huston put his hand on his shoulder again, but this time Ethan wasn’t as scared as he had been. “I’m glad Lex has someone as good as you for her soulmate. Just- uh- shit. I’m bad at this.” It was then that Ethan realized that the man in front of him wasn’t the same as the other adults. He was a teacher and a dad. “Just come to me if you need anything. Alright kid?” He gave a genuine smile. 

“Yes sir.” Ethan replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. 

Mr. Huston turned to leave, then turned back. “You comin’?” He asked. Ethan shook his head. 

“I’ve gotta stop by the bathroom first. It was, uh, nice seeing you too sir.” He smiled awkwardly before turning and practically running to the bathroom. 

Ethan needed to calm down. His anxiety was at its peak, and if Ethan didn’t take a moment to himself he was going to have another anxiety attack. He didn’t need that. It had been a good day. He didn’t want to ruin it. 

He looked into the mirror and sighed, he was pale as a ghost. Ethan took a few deep breaths and washed his face off with water. He jumped when he walked out, Paul was now standing in front of him. 

“Uh, sorry man. Just- you know.” Ethan mumbled. 

“It’s fine. I was just, well I was going to go and see if you were okay, but then I thought that that would be weird because maybe you were just going to the bathroom, but now I’m glad I came over because you look anxious. I mean! It’s not that you look bad it’s just-” Paul rambled. 

“It’s good. Thanks man. I’m just a little nervous. I met my soulmate’s dad for the first time.” He explained. Paul lit up a bit. 

“That was Tom! That’s Emma’s brother in law.” Paul smiled. “He’s a really good guy, well if he likes you. By the looks of it, it seems that he likes you.” 

Ethan wasn’t exactly sure of why, but knowing that Mr. Huston and Paul were connected made him feel a bit more comfortable around the two of them. 

“I gotta go, but it was nice talking to you.” Ethan smiled at Paul, now feeling drastically more comfortable than he had been moments earlier. 

“Have a good night.” Paul told him, already walking back to his table. 

The night had gone better than Ethan could have ever hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! This took way too long to get out, but life keeps punching me in the stomach! I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out. Glad that Ethan now has four cool adults in his life. Kudos and comments are appreciated but not mandatory. Have a lovely day!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chaptered work in years! I've pre-written the first few chapters to be sure that I wouldn't leave anyone hanging. Kudos and Comments are appreciated but not mandatory. I hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day.


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